Bioshock Infinite: Tears for Tears
by AsozMania
Summary: Set in an AU where Booker and Elizabeth are in no way related. Will contain spoilers so don't read if you haven't completed it yet! Booker came to Columbia to settle a debt, he leaves with so much more...
1. Unhappy Memories

Hello! New Story! I hope you enjoy the chapter, a fairly short one to start; just to get the ball rolling!

Just to warn you this is set in an AU. Playing through Bioshock Infinite I was really hoping that something would happen between Booker and Elizabeth.

That being said the ending is pretty damn amazing!

For those who are reading my other Mass Effect: SamXShep fiction: Fear not I am still writing it! It's had various re-writes and whatnot. New chapter should be up soon, thanks for being patient!

I hope you enjoy the first chapter! Next chapter will most probably take place in Battleship Bay.

* * *

"BOOKER!" The scream from Elizabeth roused Booker from his unconscious stupor, he vision cleared just enough to witness Elizabeth stepping into Songbirds gigantic metal claw. He reached out for her as the great metal beast swung around in an attempt to extricate itself from the building, he was not about to lose her again; he couldn't. Not after everything that that had been through and overcome.

Their hands grazed for a second, in the light Booker could faintly see tears running down Elizabeth's face. His mind was screaming at his body to get up and shoot, or at least do something. He was physically exhausted though. Songbird's high pitched scream ripped through the air and with that the Beast and Elizabeth were gone. Booker's heart sank.

"Goddammit!" Booker shouted attempting to rise from the floor. The sudden exclamation caused him to double over in pain; he thought the worst pain that he would feel would be from being stabbed in the hand whilst trying to get to the First Lady; clearly though he was wrong.

It had seemed all so long ago now, he had been sent to the mysterious Flying City of Columbia to bring back a girl to cover a debt, a debt that was owed to the wrong kind of people. Booker still couldn't remember who in particular it was owed to, although now he had made up his decision that he never intended to. His time on Columbia had changed him greatly.

He glanced down to survey the extent of the damage that being catapulted through a window caused. The sight that greeted him was better than what his mind had prepared him for, there was a fair amount of blood and a few deep lacerations but at least there were no broken bones poking out from underneath his clothes; good thing too. Whilst Booker's time on Columbia had certainly been filled with violence and injuries, at least he had Elizabeth there to help patch him up or keep him stocked up on Salts and ammo.

Booker sighed. Elizabeth. He'd come to Columbia to use the girl as a bargaining chip to save himself from his outstanding debt, what had happened though was quite the opposite. The alliance between the two had grown stronger as they had progressed and now Booker wasn't so sure, he had come to care for Elizabeth far greater than he'd care too admit. At first he'd felt guilty, he had only felt these feelings with one other in his life. Anna.

She was a great woman. Intelligent, caring and sensitive were the first words that sprang to mind. Booker remembered the hatred and anger that he felt when she left him on the night of August 14th 1908. That anger still threatened to bubble over even to this day; perhaps it was one of the main reasons why destruction followed him around like Deaths Cloak.

When he had met Elizabeth though things had changed, Booker started not to focus on the negativity that Anna had offloaded onto him but onto the beauty and innocence of Elizabeth. Thinking about another women caused an unhappy feeling of guilt to bubble up in the pit of his stomach, Booker still didn't know why though. Anna was the one who had ended things, not him. Doubts still plagued him about whether it was his fault, whether he hadn't shown her enough love or care. He should have at least prepared himself for the inevitable though. Booker distinctly remembered a conversation between them about a week before she vanished.

"_Booker, what I'm about to say might... Booker!" Anna frowned at Booker when he knew he wasn't paying her much attention. She made sure his eyes met hers before she moved a lock of her blonde hair from in front of her face and continued. _

"_Booker I want you to promise me" _

"_Anything" _

"_If anything happens, don't let me hold you back" _

Booker had never taken much notice; Anna had a tendency to say things like this after a glass of wine. Towards the end of their relationship she brought scenarios similar to this an ever increasing amount. Eventually Booker found out why, on August 14th she left him for another man that she had been seeing awhile.

He had booked her favourite restaurant as a surprise, the kind of establishment that Booker hated. Posh, uptight and filled with the kind of people who are can think of nothing better than discussing 'collateralised debt obligation'. Hell he had even gone to the trouble of dressing up for her like she had always wanted, a brown suit with a grey hat. Simple yet striking. Booker had told her to be at the restaurant at 8 sharp, he had entered about 10 minutes previous to get drinks and order a starter. He chose the salmon with rocket and a sour cream dressing, looking back Booker realised it was a rather poor choice ordering the sour cream; the night would be sour enough come the end.

Very few words were exchanged and Booker left feeling angry and vulnerable. He had doted on Anna since he had met her; everything about her filled his mind from day to day. With her now gone from his life things quickly spiralled out of control, Anna was replaced with cards and a bottle of something potent. You could say she was the catalyst that had ended with him being stuck on this godforsaken place.

"Is he going to stand there all day?" A female voice from the other side of the room brought Booker quickly back to his senses.

"Hmmm.." Another voice, male this time chipped in pondering the question. "Well I guess that is certainly a possibility"

"Don't you mean probability?" The other voice called back. Booker knew now who it was. Why the hell do they keep following him around?

"No I believe I was right the first time"

"Oh dear brother, sometimes you make me wonder whether you are still suffering from acute cognitive dissonance"

The voices continued to engage in a game of verbal tennis whilst Booker quickly tended to his more serious wounds. The cuts that he had quickly sown together weren't nearly as good as the talents from Elizabeth but at least he wasn't going to die yet.

With the most pressing wounds tended to Booker made his way towards the gaping hole that Songbird had left just moments ago. He noticed a skyhook about 60 feet below, it wasn't ideal but Booker was not going to let anything or anyone harm Elizabeth. As he prepared to jump the female voice of Rosalind Lutece echoed behind him.

"Mr DeWitt, my brother and I do implore you to be careful. A lot more is riding on this than what appears to be."

With that they both vanished. Again.

Booker sighed; at times he wished he'd never met the Lutece twins. They spoke in riddles and never made any sense. Having said that they had been around to point him in the right direction, and that magnetic shield or whatever it was had saved his life on more than one occasion. Feeling slightly better than he did before Booker loaded his faithful hand cannon, he had a feeling that he would be relying on it heavily in the upcoming struggle to save Elizabeth. With that he leapt from the window to save the girl who had finally given him a reason to live.

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Let me know what you guys and girls think!

Cheers,

AsozMania


	2. A Beach in The Sky

Hello again! New Chapter!

I really enjoyed writing this, I loved the scene in Battleship Bay. I just hope I did it justice!

Thanks for the reviews, it's great to see people enjoying what I write; spurs me on no end!

* * *

"Soon my dear, you will drown the Sodom below amongst fire and rubble". The voice of Zachary Comstock echoed off the bleak grey walls in which Elizabeth was now trapped. She had assumed that Songbird would have taken her back to her old tower regardless of what state it was now in when she had asked it as a last resort to save Booker's life. She was clearly mistaken though; the beast had flown no more than 300 feet to Comstock house where men in white suits and weapons were waiting. Fear and anxiety started to take over her body, it looked as though she was about to experience something far worse than whatever took place in her old tower.

Once Songbird had flown off, Elizabeth was marched inside. She was taken through a variety of rooms, each one more bleak and depressing than the last. Fear was threating to now completely override Elizabeth's thoughts, she wished Booker was here. The thought of him almost immediately stopped that awful feeling from bubbling over and causing her to freak out. She couldn't really deny it any longer, Booker meant a great deal to her.

It had all happened so quickly, one minute she was trapped in that godforsaken tower with nothing but a metal bird to keep her company; the next a man had fallen through her ceiling and freed her. It reminded her of a book that she had read not so long ago, although it wasn't Prince Charming that had rescued her; it was Mr DeWitt. He was a very handsome man with a kind heart and a toned body. Elizabeth's cheeks blossomed slightly; despite being in this hellhole Booker still had a great effect on her.

At first she had been frightened of him, where he seemed to go violence and destruction was never far behind. ..

* * *

A searing flash of pain interrupted Elizabeth's train of thought; she had now been seated in a circular room with machinery all around her. Cable snaked its way around the floor, she glanced out the corner of her eye various needles laid out across a table.

Comstock's booming voice sounded once more.

"I can see it in your eyes, you still expect that fool DeWitt to come and save you!" A laugh from Comstock came from up on a balcony. "He is the False Shepard; I told you he would lead you astray! Together you and him have forced my hand, I do this for you daughter, to protect you from his corruption"

With that Comstock left. As soon as the door closed an explosion of pain erupted from the top of Elizabeth's back, she fought back the urge to scream. She was not going to let these men show that they were getting to her, as her shoulders were strapped down to the seat a solitary tear rolled down her cheek. The machines sparked into life and Elizabeth focused as much as she could on Booker, it was the only that she would be able to survive the coming torment. She just hoped that he would come for her soon.

* * *

_'I am free'?_

_Elizabeth's head was spinning. Not only from the fact that she had fallen a few hundred feet into water, but also from the fact that she was no longer contained within four walls. It felt fantastic. The feeling of the blue ocean lapping against her body confirmed that she wasn't dreaming as well. To her left she could make out a beach dotted with people milling about, relaxing in the sun. Elizabeth gasped, where was Mr DeWitt? She quickly searched the surrounding area to see if anything among the waves that could point to where he might be. Panic was now starting to take over; eventually she glimpsed Booker floating face down in the waves. Elizabeth swam over to him and managed to flip him over onto his back. She pulled him ashore and checked his pulse, nothing. Starting compressions Elizabeth tried not to lose her head._

_'Please Mr DeWitt, please wake up!'_

_After what seemed like an eternity Booker spluttered back into life coughing up a rather worrying amount of water, a look of relief spread across Elizabeth's face. Booker was still visibly in a bad way though, his complexion was bleak and his face still contained a hint of vacancy; he had yet to open his eyes._

_"Mr DeWitt?" Elizabeth asked with worried look on her face. "Mr DeWitt can you hear me?"_

_For a moment Booker didn't respond, Elizabeth tried again louder and with a greater sense of urgency. Booker eventually responded but it took her by surprise; he was calling out for a woman._

_"Anna" Booker called barely louder than a whisper. "Anna!" To Elizabeth's relief he started to open his eyes, quickly shielding them from the glaring sun._

_"No it's me, Elizabeth. Are you alright?" Booker could see that Elizabeth's concern was genuine from the look of worry she wore._

_"Where am I?" He asked._

_"Back in the land of the living" Elizabeth replied a small smile starting to spread across her face. She glanced at Booker's arm lying limply across his chest, she'd read in a book that physical contact could help in situations like this. "Here let me" she said soothingly as she gently picked his hand up._

_This caught Booker by surprise, he hadn't expected such care from Elizabeth, blood started to rush into his cheeks._

_"I'm fine" he said still feeling the effects of being thrown into the sea._

_Elizabeth still didn't let go, it was the least that she could do given the fact that the man in front of her had freed her from her tower. It was the first time that she had proper contact with someone else as well when it was meant to be caring; not someone forcing her into a chair to carry out checks and procedures on her. She found it comforting._

_"You almost drowned, you need too…" Elizabeth continued but Booker cut her off._

_"I said I'm fine" He quickly snatched his hand away from hers instantly regretting it as he did so. A flash of sadness flickered across her face; it was quickly replaced with the hint of a frown and a slight pout of the mouth._

_Booker tried to break the sudden tension "Just, just give me a minute"_

_Now that the sudden danger had started to pass Elizabeth started to pay more attention to her surroundings. Many people who were relaxing on the beach hadn't even looked up from their books; could she have relied on them to assist if things had taken a turn for the worst?_

_Just then from a few hundred yards away she heard something. She glanced at Booker who was still lying on the floor, colour now returning to his cheeks._

_"It's music!"_

_Booker could hear it now as well, he could see that Elizabeth was dying to go and see what was happening. He was still not ready to move yet though, the feeling as though he'd been sucker punched still hadn't dissipated fully._

_"Go on, I just…" Booker and Elizabeth's eyes met and he just couldn't finish his sentence. Her beauty had stolen what little breath he had left. He felt embarrassed; he was a grown man for god's sakes._

_He could just barely make out Elizabeth's innocent voice._

_"Oh…ok… I…I won't be long, I won't be long Mr DeWitt" With that she was gone and Booker was left to just himself and his thoughts. He didn't have many though; the girl from the tower occupied his mind until he blacked out again._

_Booker came too not long after, his mind and body felt slightly more mended and he found the ability to stand. Looking around he could see no sight of Elizabeth._

_"Where is she?" Booker spoke aloud but to no-one in particular. He should not have let the girl that was his only means of wiping his debt clean out of his sight. A small pang of guilt hit Booker, the girl he'd given freedom too moments ago was soon to be handed over to unsavoury men; call it what you want but she was no more than a bargaining chip._

_'Could I allow myself to be responsible for destroying that girl's hope'? Booker thought. It reminded him of a quote that he had heard from somewhere._

_'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.'_

_Feeling that this was not a question to be answered now Booker pushed the thought from his mind, he would deal with the problem when it came to it; first he had to find Elizabeth._

* * *

_Elizabeth had decided she didn't want to leave this beach, the sights, sounds and smells filled her mind and she thought she would burst with happiness. She hadn't felt this way in a long time, not since she was a child when she actually looked forward to Songbird's arrival. Elizabeth had made her way up the beach following the glorious sound of the music, with one last glimpse back to Mr DeWitt to make sure he was still breathing she had proceeded through a doorway to be met with an even bigger stretch of 'airborne coastline', she felt like she was in heaven._

_She couldn't wait to show Mr DeWitt what an amazing place that they had landed on, with the events involving Songbird gone from her mind she made her way to the pier jutting out into the sea. She could just start to make out the musicians and their instruments on the farthest edge, before proceeding something caught Elizabeth's eye that caused her to bounce slightly on her toes and smile broadly. _

_It was a sign that simply read 'Dancing at Dusk', finally Elizabeth was able to actually dance with someone and not just on her own locked away in the tower. It took all her strength to not run down the pier skipping slightly as she went; she hoped that Booker would be along soon._

* * *

_Booker made his way up the beach asking people as he went whether they had seen a girl, he should have known better than to phrase it like that. Most of the answered that he'd been given were either sarcastic or rude. One couple in particular almost pushed Booker too far._

_"S'cuse me, have you seen a girl go past here? She's wearing a white blouse, blue dress and has brown hair?"_

_Clearly unimpressed by the interruption from such a scruffy man, the lady had told Booker where to go. To add insult to injury she insulted Elizabeth for good measure as well. It wasn't the fact that she had hit Booker with 'both barrels', he didn't really care about that; for most of his working life he'd been insulted. However when she had made the comment about Elizabeth something had stirred inside him, it was a combination of anger, hatred and protectiveness. For a split second it appeared that Booker would blow his cover, common sense eventually overrode the anger and he just simply glared at her until she looked away; slightly satisfied Booker walked away._

_'People in Columbia need to learn some damn manners' He thought as he pushed through the door that Elizabeth had gone through not long ago._

_As soon as the door swung open Booker could see Elizabeth instantly, the two of them were dressed completely differently than any of the other beachgoers who had all opted for a modest stripy swimsuit. As Booker approached the pier he could see that she was dancing amongst a group of revellers. He attempted to get her attention by calling her name but to no avail, he started across the beach towards the pier to collect her. As he got closer Booker could see that Elizabeth was now in the middle of the group spinning gracefully this way and that; Booker's stomach flipped. He could have stood there all day if it was possible, watching her hair gently get buffeted from her circulations, how the sunlight radiated off her soft creamy skin. A gentleman who was sat in a deckchair near Booker leaned in._

_"Ain't she som'thing?"_

_Booker coughed hoping that Elizabeth hadn't spotted him staring, his cheeks started to crimson ever so slightly for the second time in a day._

_"Yeah" He said pretending to act nonchalant._

_Not wanting for the man to engage him in more conversation that would end in embarrassment he started towards Elizabeth; his heart in his mouth._

_"Excuse me Miss…?" Booker said attempting to get her attention. When she didn't reply he tried again._

_"Hello Miss…" Still Elizabeth kept spinning. "…Miss…" Booker leaned forward raising his voice slightly. "Elizabeth!" She finally heard his voice and span around to face him. Her sweet perfume filled his mind and made him feel off-balance, why was she having this effect on him?_

_However that feeling was mutual, Elizabeth who was still spinning nearly slipped when she detected his musky aroma. Coupling that with the euphoric feeling that she was already experiencing it was truly a potent mix. Without thinking she leaned forward and grabbed Booker's hands, the feeling of the contact between them shocked them both. For a split second their eye line connected and Booker was left staring into Elizabeth's oceanic blue eyes._

_"Isn't this wonderful" Elizabeth beamed. "Oh come dance with me Mr DeWitt" she started to pull on the cuffs of Booker's shirt but he stood still._

_"I don't dance" Booker said matter-of-factly trying not to make eye contact with her. He was starting to get hot and flustered, how in the world was this she doing this too him? He noticed the people around them were starting to take a little too much interest in them. "Come on lets go" he motioned towards the other end of the pier._

_"Why?" Elizabeth protested, trying not to show that she was disappointed. "What could be better than this?"_

_From the corner of his vision Booker noticed a grand airship snaking across the horizon. "How about Paris?"_

_It had the desired effect that he wanted._

_"Paris?" Elizabeth looked confused but clearly excited by the sudden new choice. "I don't understand how could we get there?"_

_Booker motioned towards the sky. "Well that's where that airships going, but if you'd rather stay and dance…" his voice trailed off as he looked at Elizabeth once again. Secretly he wanted nothing better than to stay there and dance with her, he knew it wasn't possible though, he still had a debt to pay off; that resolve however was certainly starting to show cracks._

_"No, let's go! Come on let's go right now!" Elizabeth was already pulling Booker back towards the beach eager to get moving. "This is going to be fantastic Mr DeWitt!"_

* * *

_Elizabeth still couldn't believe her luck. She'd not only been rescued and stumbled upon this beautiful place but her saviour was now about to take her to the place she'd dreamed about since a little girl. She glanced around to see Booker following her with a troubled expression on his face, she was about to inquire as to what was wrong, however a group of ladies sheltering from the evening sun caught her attention, they couldn't have been more blatant staring at Mr DeWitt if they had tried. Elizabeth briefly overheard their conversation._

_"My my ladies, isn't it a crime that man isn't in some form of swimwear"_

_The other two women started giggling and started mock fanning each other's faces. Elizabeth's heart sank slightly, her blossoming feelings towards Mr DeWitt were some that would not be reciprocated; she sighed and carried on walking feeling saddened from what she had heard. Little did she know that Mr DeWitt at that same moment was thinking exactly the same._

* * *

And there we are!

I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think!

Cheers,

AsozMania


	3. Sweet Introductions

New Chapter, I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for all of the feedback!

* * *

A blood curdling scream cut through Booker's senses, he glanced over his shoulder to see a Boy of Silence with its mouth hole open screeching at him. The single eye in its helmet changed from yellow to a dark blood-red.

'Great, just what I need' Booker thought. As if on cue a great number of shouts and screams answered the original one. Men with steel batons and Founder Heads exploded through a gap in the wall and headed straight for Booker. The first leapt at him baton raised, Booker quickly dodged out of the path of the strike and threw his left arm towards the aggressor. There was a satisfying thud as his sky-hook lodged into the man's 'face', he was dead before he hit the floor.

The minions kept throwing themselves at Booker despite the fact that he was heavily armed and they were not, whilst he could easily despatch them it was taking valuable time away from saving Elizabeth. Every so often a scream that was undeniably hers echoed throughout the house, it sent a chill down Booker's spine. He hoped he would find her soon.

He had made up his mind that once he had freed her he was going after Comstock. Originally the plan had been to free Elizabeth and just get the hell off of Columbia, the more he progressed throughout the house though Booker realised that the son-of a-bitch had to die. The amount of torture and suffering he had piled onto not only Elizabeth but the residents of the Floating City was more than enough justification; the fact that he wanted Booker dead as well was just the icing on the cake.

He rounded a corner. Finally. Ahead lay the wardens office, Booker quickly entered and pulled the lever, a few levels below the grinding of gears confirmed to him that the way was now clear. As he was about to leave he noticed a map of Soldiers Field lying on the desk next to him. Memories flooded back to him and a small smile graced his face, despite being chased by Columbia's Finest they had still managed to stop for a small while and even introduce Elizabeth to ice cream; it was as though they had no other cares in the world. Booker shook himself from the pleasant memory and rallied himself once again.

'Hold on Elizabeth, I'm coming'

* * *

_"Mr DeWitt are you alright?" Elizabeth asked Booker. They had since left Battleship Bay and were on their to catch the First Lady to Paris. Even just thinking about the city sent tingles of excitement through Elizabeth. All her life she'd dreamed about Paris, she had also read that it was also known as 'The City of Love', it would be a shame that she wouldn't have anyone to go with; but that wouldn't stop her from enjoying the sights._

_"Huh? Oh yeah I'm fine" Booker responded. His was busy remonstrating with himself. He was clearly older than Elizabeth and she was his ticket off of Columbia, why then was he acting like a loved up teenager? After careful consideration he had decided that to quell his fledgling feelings he would converse as little as possible with Elizabeth. Whilst that plan in his mind was perfect, it was slightly harder to put into practice._

_"Mr Dewitt, shall we go straight to th..."_

_Booker cut Elizabeth off. "It's Booker"_

_"Ill be certain to attend to that distinction...Booker".Elizabeth liked how it rolled off her tongue. "Shall we head straight to the dock or shall we have a look around the shops first?"_

_Booker was about to respond but a gentleman in a stripy suit had spotted Elizabeth and was meandering his way over towards her._

_"Cotton candy! Get'cher cotton candy here folks!" He glanced at Elizabeth. "Hey lil' Miss, fancy some cotton candy?"_

_Elizabeth's had a confused look on her face. "What's that?" she asked looking dubiously at the vibrant pink clouds._

_The seller looked shocked. "You mean to say you ain't never heard of the delights of cotton candy? Where you been livin', under a rock?" He started to move off mumbling to himself._

_It was about now that Booker's perfect plan began to fall apart. Watching Elizabeth stood there fidgeting with her hands nervously and an upset expression on her face caused that feeling of anger to return. Without thinking Booker walked straight up to the man, his 6'1 stature towering over the seller, he whispered something in his ear._

_Elizabeth watched the events unfold closely, she had only caught a glimpse of Booker's face before it was hidden in front of the seller, he did not look happy. Every so often the gentleman would glance over towards Elizabeth with a worried look on his face; she wondered what Booker had to say to him. He eventually returned to Elizabeth still wearing an expression of annoyance. Careful not to upset him any more Elizabeth asked cautiously._

_"Mr DeWi.. I mean Booker" silently cursing herself for forgetting what he had said before. "Booker what happened?"_

_"Nothing Elizabeth, some people in this town just need to learn some damn manners"_

_Booker started towards a shop only to stop when Elizabeth called his name again. "Booker the docks are the other way" she said motioning in the opposite direction._

_"But we're not going to the docks yet" he simply replied and carried on walking. Elizabeth raised her eyebrow, she wouldn't have though Booker was the shopping type, not wanting to lose Mr DeWitt in the crowd she quickly followed suit._

_Booker didn't know what he was doing, he was trying not to let his slight feelings for this girl get in the way again; clearly though that plan was failing miserably. Not wanting to see her upset he had casually threatened the seller with what would happen if he ever spoke to Elizabeth again. The man hadn't really done much apart from sweat profusely under Bookers steely glare, satisfied that he made his point quite clear he had then spotted a building selling ice cream._

_Feeling this would be an appropriate way to cheer Elizabeth up a bit he had started moving towards it, although now he felt slightly stupid and embarrassed; to quit now though would be even worse so he kept going. Just outside the shop Elizabeth managed to catch up to him, slightly fatigued._

_"Booker" she gasped between breaths. "Where are we...?" She stopped as she looked at sign hanging limply on the side if the building. It took her a second to piece together why they were here. Booker interrupted her train of thought._

_"Look, I know this may look stupid but that idiot had no right to..." For a second time Booker's voice trailed off, Elizabeth didn't need him to tell her though, she knew exactly what the gesture meant. Her cheeks freckled once again with a red hue._

_"Sometimes being locked up in a cage has its advantages" Booker stated flatly. "Come on, let's go and see what's inside"_

_Elizabeth was still slightly in shock, she would never have thought that Booker would have had a caring side. This revelation did nothing to extinguish the fondness that was growing rapidly for him, she snapped back into reality when she realised Booker was looking at her._

_"Are you coming Elizabeth?" Booker asked a curious expression on his face._

_"Oh yeah sure" Elizabeth started walking into the shop and then stopped. "B..Booker?"_

_Booker span round "Yes Elizabeth?"_

_"Thank you" those simple words had a profound effect on Booker, butterflies threatened to make a repeat appearance but he forced them back down. His eyes softened as he focused on Elizabeth's blue orbs._

_"Hey, don't worry about it". He paused, "Come on"_

_The ice cream shop wasn't a busy as the two companions had expected, then again dusk wasn't usually the perfect time to buy such sweet delights. Elizabeth's eyes lit up when she saw the wide assortment of colours that covered the counter in front of them._

_"You've never had ice cream before have you?" Booker asked, seeing Elizabeth's eyes widen in delight._

_"Well could you expect me too? I have been locked up in a tower all my life Mr DeWitt" Elizabeth giggled. "Although I have read about something similar in my books"._

_Booker's face split into a smile "How many books have you read?"_

_"More than I can remember" Elizabeth answered. "Songbird always used to bring them too me when he visited. It was really the only thing I could do to pass the time."_

_"It wasn't the only thing." Booker instantly regretted saying that, damn him voicing his thoughts aloud._

_Elizabeth looked shocked, her cheeks starting to glow red. "Wh..what do you mean?" She asked nervously, trying to look at anything else other than at Booker._

_"Well, when I was on my way to rescue you I noticed that you danced as well..." It was Bookers turn to feel uncomfortable, he hadn't meant to have said that out loud. When Elizabeth had mentioned her old tower his mind had remembered her petite figure swaying gently around her room whilst humming gently to herself._

_'Why did he have to see that?' Elizabeth thought embarrassment still present on her face. God she wanted to bury her face in her hands and find somewhere to hide. Thankfully the couple in front of them moved and both of them could focus their attention on the ice cream seller._

_Two ice creams were purchased, one simple vanilla flavoured single cone for Booker, and for Elizabeth a double coned triple scooped monstrosity. She had deliberated over various flavours for so long Booker had bought her one with all of them so as to not cause a queue. They found a table for two by the window and sat down still not making eye contact. The silence went on for a few minutes until it was broken by Booker._

_"You are a good dancer" he blurted out. Damn, why did it have to sound like that?_

_Not expecting this to be the first thing to come out of his mouth Elizabeth was slightly taken back. "I'm sorry?" She replied still focusing rather too intently on her ice cream; to look at Booker would cause another surge of blood to rush too her cheeks._

_Booker refocused his thoughts and tried to make it sound less ridiculous. "What I said before about seeing you dance in your tower. I thought you danced well" Booker fidgeted bringing his left hand up to his upper back and rubbing it slowly. It still sounded ridiculous, no matter how he phrased it._

_It didn't matter that Elizabeth wasn't looking at Mr DeWitt, her cheeks flushed a deep red anyway. She racked her brain for something to say but nothing sprang to mind. Her mouth was starting to feel like a desert and she was feeling hot and flustered._

_"I.. Uhh... Thank you, Booker" was all she could say._

* * *

_With the situation now more awkward than before Booker tried to inject some light-heartedness into the conversation._

_"Well I can safely say that you are a better dancer than me!" Booker laughed nervously. Elizabeth smiled slightly at the comment._

_'I would prefer to be the judge of that Mr DeWitt' She thought. Her mind conjured an image of her and Booker twisting and whirling around the room of her old tower, Mr DeWitt would be leading of course. After the song had finished Booker would simply hold her and..._

_Booker having not heard a response from Elizabeth was digging himself a conversational hole, it didn't matter much though as she was preoccupied with her thoughts. She vaguely noticed Booker mention "Elizabeth, your ice cream is starting to melt." It wasn't until he produced a handkerchief from his waistcoat pocket and went to wipe the ice cream running down her hand that she was drawn back to reality._

_His hands had a soft touch to them and every so often their hands grazed each others sending jolts of sensation running up Elizabeth's arm. It was such a simple gesture but one which Elizabeth was only just starting to experience. A small sigh of contentment escaped her lips, luckily it didn't reach Booker's ears; he was forcing himself to stare deeply into the handkerchief._

_Out of the corner of his eye Booker could see two black shapes, he quickly turned to confirm his fears; it was two members from Columbia's Finest. 'Damn' Booker silently cursed. _

_He shouldn't have allowed himself to get distracted, all of Columbia would be swarming with Police soon, all trying to take back The Lamb. He moved his hands away from Elizabeth's and for a split second he could have sworn that her hands followed his. He didn't have time to over-analyse though; they needed to get to the First Lady._

_"Is something wrong?" Elizabeth asked, her eyes wide with worry._

_"Police" Booker muttered. "Come on, we need to get out of here. Fast"_

_Careful not to arouse suspicion they both got up from the table. As they left the ice cream shop voices could be heard from the seller and two new customers._

_"What do you two want?" The sellers voice was laced with annoyance, the conversation had clearly been going on for a while._

_"Why ask WHAT when the most delicious question is WHEN?" A male voice replied, it was Robert Lutece._

_"Brother, I implore you to just choose a flavour" another voice, his female counterpart Rosalind chipped in rubbing her forehead. "We've got matters to attend too..." _

* * *

_The cool dusk air greeted Booker and Elizabeth once they were outside. It was peaceful calm evening, only the sound of the attractions in the distance disturbing the silence. A cold snap crept up from the small of Elizabeth's back spreading to her shoulder causing her to visibly shiver._

_"I guess having an ice cream wasn't the best thing to have on a cold eve...oh" Elizabeth was caught mid-sentence as Booker's jacket was draped over her shoulders. His scent threatened to engulf her senses again._

_"Mr DeWitt" Elizabeth started to protest, "I simply cannot allow you to catch your death". She started to shrug the jacket off but a tender hand placed on her shoulder stopped her._

_"Elizabeth please, you need it more than I do." Booker's voice was gentle but firm._

_"I.." Elizabeth started,turning to face Booker. Noticing his gaze she knew there was nothing she could do. "Thank you" was all she could muster._

_Satisfied that she wasn't going to take it off, Booker scanned the route ahead, it appeared that the route to the gondola was fairly clear._

_'Hopefully it'll stay that way' Booker thought, glancing to his hand cannon to make sure it was loaded. From his weapon he looked to Elizabeth._

_"Ready?" He asked._

_"Ready Booker" she replied_

_"Alright, stay close to me, I won't let them hurt you"_

_Elizabeth didn't need to second guess that; she knew that Booker was telling the truth._

* * *

Next chapter the flashback I believe will be in Finkton.

Let me know how you are finding the story!

See you next chapter!


	4. Finkton Part 1: Out of the Frying Pan

New Chapter!

This is Part One of Finkton, I hadn't planned on it being split into two chapters but I just couldn't cram it all into one chapter!

Thanks again for the reviews/favourites/follows, it really is wonderful to read that you are enjoying the story as much as I am writing it!

Enjoy

* * *

A deep rumble once again erupted through the house, the huge machine dominating the space in the room crackled and spat vicious bolts of electricity ten feet high; more and more scorch marks were pockmarking the ceiling.

To say Dr Pettifog was stressed would be a gigantic understatement. Not only was he having to perform an operation that would require all of his surgical knowledge and experience, his patient was 'unwilling' and had to kept in a state of perpetual agony to keep her docile. Finally to top it off something in Comstock House was rampaging about which didn't help his concentration at all.

To mess up was surely certain death, although what from was still be an unknown. If they power surged and cut out for long enough the girl could create a tear that would certainly destroy them. If that didn't happen although the operation was a failure then Comstock would see his head swing from the Hand of The Prophet.

However what seemed most likely at the present moment would be death from whatever was causing chaos not too far away from Pettifogs location. A bead of sweat dripped from his brow, he needed to finish the operation and then get the hell away from here as soon as possible.

He looked down towards the girl; she was clearly in a lot of pain. Her eyes were slightly puffy and she winced every so often when the pain was too intense. At first Pettifog had rejected Comstock's offer for him to lead the surgery. He had witnessed her grow from a tender age when she was locked in the tower, back then he was merely a young doctor trying to make a good impression. Her beauty had captivated him; he would sit watching her through the single-way glass for hours at a time. Eventually though he had grown some sense and witnessed what destruction she could cause. With careful co-exertion from Comstock, he had accepted the surgery knowing it was a great honour to assist in fulfilling Columbia's prophecy.

Another loud booming sounded, knocking various medical paraphernalia from the table; what was outside was getting closer. A younger scientist, Dawson was his name, an unlikeable man he was, rushed through one of the side doors; fear written on his face.

"DeWitt, he's here" he announced before his eyes rolled into the back of his head, he fainted and slumped to the floor.

Pettifog cursed violently. He was coming, The False Shepard. Pettifog had only heard rumours and myths about Mr DeWitt, none were particularly pleasant.

Elizabeth couldn't believe what she had just heard. Booker was on his way here? A surge of adrenaline and relief coursed through her body, every fibre in her small frame was hoping that Mr DeWitt rescue her soon.

A scientist from across the room was busy stuffing various papers into a leather satchel. He secured it tightly, flung it over his shoulder, as he turned to the door to leave a voice behind him caused him to freeze; it was Pettifog.

"Where do you think you're going" His voice was dripping with venom.

The scientist rotated to face him, "Uhh.. The escape shaft through to Finkton." He started to walk forward to Pettifog. "Come on Hans, it's the only way we'll be able to get out of here now". His eyes had a frenzied look, similar to an animal that has been trapped in the headlights.

Pettifog sighed. "Weak" was all he uttered before he reached for a pistol on the desk and plunged a bullet straight through the man's skull. Elizabeth stifled a scream and turned her head away.

"Anyone else feel like leaving?" Pettifog turned towards the other scientists around him still waving his gun madly. "Hmmph...I thought not" he muttered when none decided to move.

Finkton. Elizabeth forced her mind to think about her time there with Booker, it was between the workhouses and the revolution of the Vox Populi that she had started to uncover Booker's true feelings for her. Feelings that only she thought she harboured. Pain shot up from her spine and she started to black out again. Hope however was starting to grow inside her though. Hope was edging ever closer. Hope was Booker DeWitt.

* * *

_Finkton. The place was a hell-hole. As the two companions stalked its dreary streets it became apparent that whilst they were being chased by a religious zealot and a giant metal bird they still had it better than some in Finkton. It didn't take long to find out that they weren't particularly welcome in Finkton either, the direct route to Jeremiah Fink's golden metropolis had been blocked once rumour had gotten round that the False Shepard and his Lamb were on their way there._

_Booker felt a pang of sadness, not for himself but for Elizabeth. He had freed her from her tower and was forced to watch as she realised slowly that the world is nothing like she read in her books. Booker had learnt from a young age about the way of the world, to not to would have ended with him winding up dead. But Elizabeth had only a short amount of time to completely change her perception and understanding; he didn't know how she was coping._

_He had decided that the men who he owed the debt to could go to hell. By the time they had gotten wind that he wasn't coming, he would be long gone. He smiled slightly, it was nice to be doing something worthwhile for a change, not just solving problems with a boot or a gun._

_Booker hasn't decided where to go though, he didn't like looking that far ahead in the future when in a flash a Fireman could jump from any corner and end him. He was hoping secretly that Elizabeth would go with him though; his stay on Columbia had only been bearable because of her. Every so often it would appear that she felt the same way that Booker did towards her, moments in the ice cream shop and Battleship Bay floated back into Booker's mind._

_However he wasn't totally convinced. Everywhere they had been on the Floating City Elizabeth had been the object on many people's attention, why on earth would she want to be with a guy like a Booker? She could meet a nice rich gentleman in Paris and live happily ever after. Booker grumbled, that train of thought was certainly not helping his mood._

_Elizabeth, who was not too far away from Booker heard his disappointment and turned to face him. Her clothes whilst slightly dirtied and worn from her time on Columbia did nothing to dull her beauty._

_"Booker, are you alright?" She closed the gap quickly between her and Booker and started to look him over for any possible wounds._

_Not expecting this sudden invasion of his personal space Booker immediately jumped backwards and reached for his hand cannon. It didn't leave its holster though, he instantly recognised Elizabeth. She was stood with one hand on her hip and a raised eyebrow pointed at Booker._

_"Planning to shoot me too Mr DeWitt?" Elizabeth said playfully as she brought her hands up in a mock surrender._

_"S..sorry" Booker stammered feeling ashamed for even going for his weapon. "I didn't mean to.."_

_Elizabeth closed the gap again. "It's alright Booker" She smiled sweetly._

_Booker's felt as though his heart was starting to constrict his vocal chords. The sound of a megaphone being switched on quickly re-focused his senses; the voice of Jeremiah Fink crackled through._

_"Good afternoon Finkton!" His voice boomed. "It has come to my attention that the False Shepard is here in Finkton, our great city!". Fink paused for a moment as though allowing it to sink in. "Now although we do love strangers coming down to Finkton, it appears that Mr DeWitt didn't apply for a valid work permit like the rest of you hardworking souls did!" A hearty laugh from Fink interrupted his monologue._

_"What have I told you time and time again? He continued. "If you don't have a work permit then you can't work! And you all know what happens when you can't work" Finks voice changed to a more serious, sinister tone. "He will drink all your beer, gamble all your hard earned work tokens and have his way with YOUR WOMEN! Fink was practically screaming down the megaphone. "Now, I for one will simply not stand by and watch as this heathen waltzes in here and corrupts our part of town!"_

_The sound of him shifting in his seat echoed through the microphone. "Give us the girl False Shepard, and I will end your life quickly". The line was cut abruptly and the same music replaced it. Booker glanced at Elizabeth who had a stern expression on her face; she turned to look at Booker._

_"I will not let them take you."_

_Booker was taken back, he hadn't expected such ferocity from Elizabeth, it was his job to protect her._

_'Well I guess it's better to not be on the receiving end of one of those tears' Booker thought, his mood surprisingly buoyant._

_"It won't come to that" he told Elizabeth whilst re-checking his hand cannon, he had a feeling in a moment things were about to kick off once again. He couldn't allow Elizabeth to be injured or killed in the crossfire; his feelings were too great for her now that it would destroy him if she died. Booker turned to face Elizabeth whose expression softened as he spoke to her._

_"Look Elizabeth, I need you to go and find somewhere quiet" he paused for a moment allowing Elizabeth time to protest. When she didn't he carried on "I have a feeling that things around here are going to get dangerous very quickly, can you do that for me?"_

_Half of what happened next Booker expected, that was to say that Elizabeth politely but downright refused his invitation to go and hide._

_"Who would protect you then Mr DeWitt?" Elizabeth had argued whilst giggling._

_The other half came completely out of the blue and caused Booker almost to stumble over, Elizabeth had closed the gap between them both, promptly stood up on her tip-toes and placed a gentle kiss on his right cheek. The air around them seemed to boil and evaporate, Booker was left breathless. When Elizabeth pulled away her cheeks were a deep ruby red, a solitary tear loosed itself from her eyelash and slid lazily down her cheek._

_"Booker" Elizabeth's azure eyes were fixed on Booker's verdant stare. "Booker, before this goes any further I need you to know..."_

_As much as Booker wanted her to finish that sentence it simply wasn't possible, their time alone had run out. Booker threw himself at Elizabeth knocking them both to the floor in the process. A split second later a bullet whistled passed them embedding itself in the wall opposite. Elizabeth's eyes widened in fear. Booker un-holstered his hand cannon and readied himself, adrenaline and vigours' coursing rapidly through his body._

_He carefully poked his head out from behind the small wall they were being sheltered by; Booker only caught a glimpse of sunlight bouncing off of a sniper scope before he threw himself back down. He glanced down to Elizabeth._

_"Snipers, top floor, the building at the end of the street." He stated. Realising those men would soon be on their way to flush them out of their position Booker looked around to attempt to find an escape route._

_A few hundred yards away down a small alley there was a big mahogany warehouse door, it was shackled however there was a small gap which they should be able to squeeze through._

_He turned back to face Elizabeth. Booker knew she was not going to like this._

_"Elizabeth, I need you to run to that warehouse door" he pointed in the direction of the alley._

_Despite this being a life and death situation Elizabeth still protested._

_"Booker I'm not leaving you" she said defiantly._

_"Please Elizabeth" Booker begged. "I promise I will be right behind you." He smiled weakly not knowing whether words would be enough._

_Elizabeth sighed "Fine, but you better be RIGHT behind me" she reached over and grasped Bookers hand and squeezed it tightly. Realising that time was slipping away Booker looked at Elizabeth and nodded._

_"Run"_

_With that he rolled out of cover and began firing shots at the advancing line of Columbia' Finest. Two were felled instantly collapsing to the ground, the rest started to fire blindly in the direction of Booker; they hadn't expected him to fight back with such anger._

_After loosing off a few more shots Booker dived back into cover, a thin film of sweat covered his face. He dared to look in the direction of the alley to see how Elizabeth was getting on, it pleased him to see her blue dress quickly vanish behind the door; at least she was safe._

_A few more shots shortened the lives of a couple of the police officers; the situation was getting more and more in their favour though. No matter how many Booker dispatched there was always a few more to take the fallen man's place. With a final barrage of Devil's Kiss from Booker to cover his escape he ran into the alleyway at full tilt. It was preferable that he didn't get spotted entering into the warehouse; Booker didn't think they'd be able to outrun the pursuing horde for long. He reached the bronzed door and slid masterfully underneath the chain just squeezing through. The room was badly lit and Booker couldn't see Elizabeth, he called out for her no louder than a whisper._

_"Booker" Elizabeth's voice responded, she quickly came from the shadows and enveloped Booker in a hug. "Oh Booker I...I"._

_Booker placed a finger to her lips to silence her, they weren't the only ones in the room, something was hiding in the darkness. Booker raised his weapon and stood, waiting for whatever it was to reveal itself._

_THUD._

_Booker tightened his grip on his gun and stood directly in front of Elizabeth._

_THUD._

_A great mechanical foot was the first thing to appear from the darkness, that was quickly followed by a body made entirely of a dull brown metal save a circular hole in the chest where a large beating heart was contained. It was a Handyman._

_Booker cursed, as he started to swivel to face the door a cold cylindrical barrel was pointed into his neck._

_"Drop your weapon and don't move" a voice behind him growled._

_With one hand Booker lowered his weapon, his other found Elizabeth's petite hand and he enveloped it tightly. They had gotten out of the frying pan only to be roasted alive in the fire._

* * *

Who is the mystery person that has Booker at gunpoint? Stay tuned for Part 2!

Let me know how you guys are finding the story!

Cheers,

AsozMania


	5. Finkton Part 2: Tin-Man Troubles

Hello! Sorry this chapter is a tad late, it has been a busy few days!

I hope you enjoy Part 2 of Finkton!

* * *

_Booker looked around, through the shadows he could make out about 4 men all who were armed with some form of weaponry. Two were upon a balcony across the far side of the room. One was next to the Handyman who dominated the majority of the warehouse space and the other had his gun jammed into Booker's neck._

_"Let the girl go and I'll come quietly" Booker stated glaring straight into the eyes of the Handyman._

_A voice rang out from the corner of the room._

_" I don't think they'll be any need for that Mr DeWitt" a man stepped from the shadows into the light. He was a tall slender man with jet black hair, Booker could have sworn that he had seen this man somewhere before, clearly amused by Booker's attempt to identify him, the man let out a small laugh and walked forward._

_"Ah!Where are my manners Mr DeWitt" The man strode straight up to Booker and extended his hand, not wanting to call for further anger from the bodies around Booker took his hand and shook it warily._

_"My name... Is Albert Fink"_

_Fink. That's where Booker had seen him, scattered throughout Columbia various posters had advertised the musical delights from the maestro Albert Fink. How the hell had Albert been able to get his hands on a small army?_

_"Aren't you a...?" Booker started._

_"Am I not just a whimsical musician? Albert finished Booker's sentence for him. "If only it were that simple Mr DeWitt"._

_Having just registered that Booker was not the only uninvited guest in the room, Albert turned his attention to Elizabeth who was clinging to Booker, fear was clear on her face and she was fidgeting nervously every so often._

_"How rude of me to not introduce myself to the..." Albert's eyes slowly took in the captivating sight of Elizabeth;he licked his lips before continuing "...lovely Miss Elizabeth Comstock". He bowed graciously to her whilst tipping his hat, Elizabeth's grip on Booker was now verging on painful, she was frightened and wanted nothing more than to vanish into thin air. "How kind of you to join my company!" He span on his heels towards the guards up on the balcony._

_"The girl goes with me, take Mr DeWitt and show him the delightful hospitality of a cell until I decide what to do with him"._

_Booker's head exploded in pain as he felt a rifle butt smash into the back of his skull. The last thing he saw was Elizabeth being dragged from his grasp and carried away by the Handyman, his vision dulled and he blacked out._

* * *

_Booker woke to find himself in a dank cell, his head still throbbing from the butt. He rolled over and his hand shot up to his head to try to soothe the pain, however once he pulled his hand away he could feel that his wound was still bleeding profusely. He undid his neckerchief, balled it up and forced it against his head grimacing slightly from the pain._

_Elizabeth. The thought of her caused Booker to sit bolt upright, he had to find her. He stood slowly from the mattress and walked over to the wrought iron door, despite it looking old and worn it wouldn't budge no matter how much force he put into it. After countless attempts and many curses the gate remained upright and locked; Booker sat down on the damp floor his head in his hands. He had failed._

_It was all his fault, if he hadn't chosen that particular spot to hide then they could have been off Columbia by now. In Paris, perhaps with the girl that he had fallen for from the tower. The thoughts despite being joyful filled Booker with an uncontrollable rage, he stood and stormed over to his metal bed frame and flipped it over; all it did was cause his mattress to land in a patch of standing water. Booker continued to pace in his cell, his irrepressible rage controlling him completely._

* * *

_It seemed like hours until Booker heard another voice, a familiar one it was; it came from within his cell which startled the life out of him._

_"Well. This scenario is new." Rosalind Lutece did not sound pleased._

_"It appears that Albert Fink is something we failed to take into account" her brother Robert replied._

_Booker had never been in the mood for them, and this time in particular was not an exception. "What the hell are you two doing here?!" He demanded._

_"Well after much consideration between my brother and I, we have decided that more help is needed on our part." Rosalind motioned towards the cell door. "Brother, if you'd like to lend Mr DeWitt a hand?"_

_"Which one would you think he would prefer?"_

_"Just free him, brother."_

_Robert walked up to the cell door brandishing a pair of bolt croppers, they cut through the chain like a hot knife through butter._

_"I.." Booker was stunned, for once the Lutece's had helped him directly and not through a riddle or some other nonsense. "Much obliged thank you."_

_"Our pleasure Mr DeWitt, now when you are ready you may rescue the girl" once again Rosalind motioned towards the door._

_She didn't have to tell Booker twice, he left the cell with two things on his mind. One was to save Elizabeth, the other was to murder that son of a bitch Albert Fink._

* * *

_A oval table filled the room, at one end sat Albert Fink, at the other was Elizabeth. A gigantic spread of food covered the table, so much food in fact that it could have easily fed the entire population of Finkton. It appeared to be more though as a blatant flaunting of wealth though, not being there to be consumed. Elizabeth fidgeted in her seat not daring to look at Albert. Her eyes were puffy and tears that had long since fallen from his eyelids had left small sparkling streaks down her cheeks. Never had she felt so upset, the terrible memory of the rifle slamming into the back of Booker's head was still fresh in her mind threatening to make her weep again._

_Albert Fink was busy explaining why they had been captured; not that Elizabeth was paying much attention. Why was she being treated so differently to Booker? She was so wrapped up in her sadness that she didn't hear Albert ask her a question. When she didn't respond his personality flipped. He slammed his drink down on the oak table sending wine spilling everywhere._

_"LOOK AT ME!" He roared, a vein near his temple pulsated viciously, Elizabeth's eyes were forced to stare into the black holes of Mr Finks, despite him not having much of a physical presence he was a terrifying man. Albert quickly calmed down however, after gently mopping the area around him with a cream handkerchief he continued. "As I was saying, It is rather fortuitous that you ran into my company, now with your help I will finally be able to destroy what's left of my brothers despicable empire."_

_Elizabeth couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her voice started shaky but found a surprising force "Y..you expect me to assist you when you have Booker locked up?"_

_Albert let out a singular sinister laugh. "Oh! Now isn't that quaint?" He turned to the Handyman that was stood in the corner, as if on cue the Handyman let out a low booming laugh. "The Lamb has finally found her Shepard" Albert continued "Now as lovely as that is I'm afraid you will be assisting me... With of without Mr DeWitt." Alberta tongue nervously came from his mouth and he licked his lips again._

_"I... I... Fine" Elizabeth relented. She would not be the reason for Booker to be harmed further, she cared about him too much. "I will help you, but on ONE condition". Tears started to fall from her eyelashes onto the white satin tablecloth, staining it with a damp mark. Elizabeth balled her fists together. "You will not lay another hand on Booker DeWitt."_

_Albert tutted, "Well It doesn't appear to me that you are in much of a position to bargain...I guess we will just have to wait and see" A wry smile split across his face. With that he stood from the table. "Well I assume that this agreement concludes dinner. It was nice to finally meet you Lamb, I look forward to... working with you in the future"._

_Fink turned to the Handyman. "She escapes and your precious Hattie dies, got it?" That same maniacal expression returned to Albert's face. Despite being considerably larger than Fink the Handyman flinched at the sound of Fink mentioning his wife. With that Albert left the room and Elizabeth was left alone with the man of metal._

* * *

_It had taken a while but Booker had finally located his gear, it was hidden inside a cabinet in one of the many rooms leading off from the main corridor. It hadn't been locked which was lucky._

_'I guess they didn't expect me to get help from another dimension' Booker thought as he re-attached his Sky-Hook to his left arm. _

_From picking up his gear he had attempted to find Elizabeth, although the area was like a maze, for a while Booker didn't see or hear anyone. Eventually voices and footsteps could be heard down the corridor, heels clicking on the polished auburn and white tiled marble; Booker hid behind one of the elegantly lined three-pieces that adorned the hallway and readied his hand cannon._

_"...ou really think we can trust that piece of tin shit?" It was a man who Booker hadn't seen before, he was adorned in scars and tattoos, most notable was a black scorpion that covered the right hand side of his face._

_"Well I dare say we probably can't" the voice paused, it was Albert Fink. "But he will do as we please as long as we have his wife under lock and key eh?" He laughed at the thought. The men continued down the corridor discussing fervently in hushed voices; once they had rounded the corner Booker stood up out of cover._

_Instead of heading towards Elizabeth, Booker started to head back towards the cells, his conscience would not let him abandon the tin-mans wife to a fate worse than death. If he was quick enough he'd be able to save them both, either that or it would get them all killed quicker. He started off towards the cells at a pace slightly quicker than before._

* * *

_It had taken some time but Booker was finally making progress towards Elizabeth with the tin mans wife in tow. Her name was Jamsine Gerst, she was of a similar height and build to Elizabeth, although that is where the similarities ended. Her Titian hair flowed to just past her shoulders creating a stark contrast between her hair and the cream outfit she was wearing. She kept as close as she dared to Booker, her eyes, a deep emerald-green constantly darted about around her surroundings as though she expected Albert Fink to appear from the walls and drag her back to the cell._

_"My husband" she whispered, her voice calling to Booker. "Is he safe Mr DeWitt?"_

_Booker poked his head around this next corner before turning to Jasmine. "As safe as he can be for the time being, although if they find you out of your cell I'm not so sure." He was not only anxious to re-unite the tin-man and Jasmine but more so for Elizabeth's safety. Albert Fink, just like Zachary Comstock; was going to pay._

_Ahead of them lay a set of huge dark oak doors just beyond an interior courtyard. Both were well over 20 years old although they still held some of the grandeur they did when there younger years. Booker motioned for Jasmine to shelter behind a giant statue of Washington and wait until he called her, the last thing he wanted was to be saving two damsels in distress whilst attempting to worry about his own life as well. Booker carefully pressed his ear to the door, he could hear a female, perhaps Elizabeth softly crying on the other side._

_Not wanting to waste any time Booker made the choice to go in hard and heavy, something that he was used to from his time as a Pinkerton. The stealthy option had too many variables, he readied himself and threw his weight against the door. Whilst the lock in its heyday would have stopped a charging bull, many years of neglect and deterioration meant that it was about as useful as a chocolate teapot. The lock crumbled under the force and the bar sheared clean in half, Booker was thrown into the room and faced with the lengthy oval table. A shriek from the far end caused Booker's heart to sink, Albert Fink had a knife held to Elizabeth's throat._

* * *

_"Aha! Mr DeWitt, so glad you could finally join us!" Albert's face spasmed and his tongue shot out once more. "I'm afraid you just missed our little get-together!"_

_Not wanting to give him a reason to harm Elizabeth, Booker lowered his hand cannon slightly. "Fink, you don't need to do this, just let the girl go and we can talk like gentlemen."_

_"Us, talk like gentleman?" Albert scoffed at the thought. "I've studied you False Shepard. Wounded Knee, the Boxer Rebellion, your time as a Pinkerton!" He tightened his grip on Elizabeth's throat drawing the slightest amount of blood, it dripped down staining her blouse. "I'm afraid you've gone too far to be treated like a gentleman now Booker."_

_Booker could see that Elizabeth was terrified, tears were flowing freely down her face. Sensing that things could go south very quickly, Booker tried to play Fink for time._

_"So what, you're going to barter Elizabeth back to Comstock for power?"_

_Another maniacal laugh from Fink. "Why would I go to all this trouble just to barter her back Mr DeWitt? No I have something much more... special planned for Miss Comstock."_

_Fink's cheek spasmed once more, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold ornamental time-piece; returning it safely to his breast pocket he resumed his tight grip on Elizabeth. "Well as charming as it is seeing you again Booker, I'm afraid I am a very busy man, please show your.."_

_Fink stopped abruptly, a confused look on his face. He released his grip on Elizabeth who quickly darted from his grasp, Booker could just make out a dull metal wrapped around Finks waist. Their eyes met and Booker could barely hear what he was saying._

_"Bastard" Fink coughed blood dripping from his mouth. "Tin..man"_

_In one swift movement the Handyman revealed himself from the shadows and hurled Albert through the stained glass windows hanging above the table, contented that the problem was now closed it focused back onto Booker, it's started to lumber forward and Booker raised his hand cannon. As he was about to pull the trigger Elizabeth stepped in front._

_"What... Elizabeth what are you doing? Booker said, a confused look on his face._

_"It's alright Booker, he won't hurt us.." Elizabeth glanced over to the Handyman, a sorry look on her face. "He's as much a prisoner as we both were"_

_Booker still wasn't convinced "I.. Look Elizabeth its a Hand.." He started but Elizabeth cut him off._

_"He needs our help Booker, somewhere in this place his wife is being held prisoner."_

_Of course. His wife! In the ensuing fight Booker had completely forgotten about Jasmine. He called to her and after a moment she timidly poked her head from behind the timber frame before walking in, when she noticed the Handyman her expression changed rapidly._

_"Samuel!" She shrieked, happy to be re-united with her real-life knight in shining armour. She kicked off her ruined heels and started to run towards him._

_It was now Elizabeth's turn to look confused, she glanced at Booker. "How.. I don't understand...ho". She was cut off as Booker closed the space between them and enveloped her in his giant frame. Realising there was nothing she could do Elizabeth simply nestled her head further into Booker's; she could hear his heartbeat thumping in his chest._

_Out of the corner of her eye she could just about make out Jasmine's flaming hair as she too threw herself into the metal arms of her husband._

_"Thank you Booker" Elizabeth said, her voice sounding slightly muffled._

_'No, thank you Elizabeth' Booker thought as he gently tightened his hold on Elizabeth. It was all down to her that he was now a changed man, a changed man certainly for the better. He had no idea what challenges the two of them may face in the next coming hours. What he did know though was that he would be there to protect the girl he cared deeply for; and that they would face the challenges together._

* * *

Originally I was going to have Albert Fink as an ally to Booker and Elizabeth, couldn't have turned out more different though!

When I was writing him, whatever way I chose to type, it just came out rather evil for him.

I had every intention of writing Samuel as an ally though, should he make a return as more of a key character in a chapter further down the line? Let me know whether you'd like him to re-appear!

Next Chapter will focus on Booker/Elizabeth a bit more, I've already got some ideas in mind which I hope you'll like!

Cheers,

AsozMania


	6. Day Early and a Dollar Gained

Hello! Sorry this update has taken far longer than I expected. It has been a busy week and then I decided to re-write most of the chapter.

I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

A final screech from the Boy of Silence ripped through the air, Booker had finally managed to corner the foul being and quickly put his sky-hook through his chest. His singular beam of light flickered and slowly faded. Re-adjusting his grip on his sky-hook, the door to Elizabeth lay ahead; thankfully it looked clear.

Stealth had been completely erased from the equation, it would have taken too long and from what Booker could gather from the research voxophones scattered around was that time was a luxury that he didn't have. The voice of Pettifog crackling through had brought mixed emotions of anger and fear.

_"Pavlov, through his re-conditioning experiments had made a dog salivate, we'll make this one weep."_

If the screeches from the Boy of Silence weren't bad enough, the screams coming from behind the door were torturous to Booker. The girl he'd promised to save was now being subjected to yet another experiment. Booker didn't really know what they were doing to her, he just knew they were going to regret it.

Without stopping he charged at the door, the lock resisted his weight but snapped nonetheless and he surged into the room. Behind a large window he could make out two scientists standing over a red chair. Booker caught a glimpse of Elizabeth's small hand gripping the seat, her thimble still covering her pinkie finger.

In one fluid movement Booker raised his hand cannon and shot straight at one of the scientists, expecting the bullet to split the man's head like a watermelon; the bullet merely embedded itself into the glass-like material and went no further. A laugh from up on the balcony made Booker's blood run cold; it was Comstock.

* * *

"Well well, if it isn't the False Shepard come to try to prise the Lamb from my grasp once more." Comstock stepped from the shadows, an amused expression on his face.

"Looks like you're a day late and a dollar short DeWitt!" He laughed before glaring at Booker; his expression much more serious. "If you want her Booker, you'll have to prize her from my cold hands!"

"Gladly" Booker replied glaring straight at Comstock. Nothing other than being with Elizabeth would give him greater pleasure.

"You should have heeded my warnings DeWitt! This will not end well for.." Comstock was cut off as Booker loosed another shot directly at his head. Although the bullet was halted by the window it shocked him enough to falter. DeWitt was no fool, he knew that Comstock was playing for time; from across the room he could just see Booker following the cable to the generators. Comstock shouted to Pettifog and his scientist below before turning on his heels and leaving; Firemen flanking him as he went.

* * *

"My aim is true, for my eye is the Prophet's!"

Booker hadn't expected this much resistance, soldiers and Patriot's were flooding down the corridor and almost falling over each other. He rolled out from cover and the tingling sensation running down his left arm felt electric, a green spectre leapt from his hand and flew towards one of the tin-demons. The Patriot slowed for a moment before being enveloped in a green tinge, it span wildly firing its Crank weapon in all directions scattering the soldiers.

Using this as his distraction Booker started to make his way up the corridor firing wildly as he went, accuracy was rarely needed due to so many bodies ahead of him.

From his left side a soldier jumped from behind a pillar a brought his bat down to shatter Booker's skull. Booker brought his left arm up to deflect the blow, pain exploded in his arm but it was better that than a killing blow. He managed to shove the aggressor off to deal with another soldier at the top of the stairs. With one bullet the man fell to the ground, his lifeless body rolling down to rest at the foot of the marble staircase.

The soldier in front of Booker had discarded his mangled weapon and threw his right arm towards him. Booker stepped to his left and parried the clumsy strike with his left arm, bringing the man's limb down so that it overbalanced his posture. Fear was written in the man's eyes as he realised his mistake, his full weight was now carrying him past Booker.

With his right arm Booker held onto the soldier's wrist, as he fell to the ground he was left standing behind the man whilst the soldier was on his knees. A satisfying crunch echoed off the walls as Booker brought his boot down onto the man's elbow. Pain overloaded the senses of the soldier and he blacked out instantly.

With one smooth movement Booker span around and loosed two shots from his hand cannon, both embedding themselves into the recently possessed Patriot's head casing. It fizzled erratically before it too fell to the ground and its gearing shattered into pieces. Booker was left standing among a pile of metal and smoke.

* * *

Pettifog's mind was at breaking point. His head was filled with various ways that the False Shepard could kill him, the explosions and shots echoing from the next room did nothing to help his concentration either. He had seen the reinforcements that had arrived just moments ago, a small army; surely Booker wouldn't stand a chance against them?

"HANS!" A shout brought him back to his senses; it was his assistant Goodfellow. "We need to sedate the girl now, the power fluctuations are too intense, and if that bastard gets through and shuts off the generators we'll be done for!"

Rage surged through Pettifog. "NO!" He snarled "We continue as planned".

"You can do it on your own then" Goodfellow replied as he removed his surgical gloves. Pettifog watched him as he made his way towards the door, he stopped suddenly though as a loud bang forced his head to twist to see what it was. The body of Isaac Roth, an assistant was now decorating the floor. The accompanying sound was that of silence, the generators had been switched off.

Pettifog's mind snapped, he could just make out Booker's shadow up by the control panel on the balcony.

"Pl.. Please" Pettifog begged "Turn it back on"

A fresh breeze caught the insane scientists face, how was that possible? As he tilted his head Pettifog's worst fears were confirmed, before him lay a field of wheat. The clouds were a dank grey and a small maroon timber barn was in the distance. He turned back to Booker, his face now covered in sweat.

"Turn it back on" Pettifog's eyes bulged from his skull. "TURN IT BACK ON!" As he turned to face the unfamiliar sight his vision went black. That was the painful end of Dr Hans Pettifog, he had taken the full force from an Amtrak Superliner. The tear closed and only Booker and Elizabeth were left in the room; Booker called down to her.

"Elizabeth! Hold on I'm coming down for you!"

As he took the stairs two at a time, Booker started to feel the intense pain on his left arm, adrenaline had kept the pain at bay but it could not stay forever. As he rounded the corner back into the main circular room he caught sight of Elizabeth once again, he could see she was trying to sit up but something was holding her down. With the last few bounds Booker quickly closed the gap and started to find what Elizabeth was attached too.

"Booker..." Elizabeth coughed, her voice was weak. Booker gently placed his hand on her arm.

"Don't try to talk, I'll have you out in a second."

It didn't take long for Booker to locate what the hindrance was; a giant needle attached to a cord was implanted at the top of her back. Elizabeth's eyes didn't leave Booker, she was worried that if she closed her eyes he would simply vanish into thin air. Booker stared deeply into her deep blue pearls, his eyes softened and a small smile crept onto his face. As much as Booker wanted it, the next few moments for Elizabeth were going to be far from painless. Booker stood and captured Elizabeth's small digits in his hand, instinctively she tightened her grip; she knew what was coming.

"Just.. Just do it" she said, a tear once again forming on her dark eyelash.

"It'll be over soon, try and think of something happy" It didn't sound half as bad in Booker's mind, when it was vocalised though it reeked of a cliché. Thankfully Elizabeth didn't seem to mind, it dawned on Booker that it probably did t matter that it was a over-used phrase; Elizabeth probably had never heard it anyway due to being locked in her old tower.

His grip tightened on the cold steel of the instrument, with a surge of power Booker pulled it free. A wince from Elizabeth signalled that the worst was over, she sat up and spluttered a few times; her body re-adjusting to not having such an intrusive instrument in her back. The familiar relaxing aroma of Booker filled her senses once more as he removed his jacket and draped it over her, Elizabeth leaned into the jacket, similar to a child who huddled into their duvet as a form of protection. As Booker brought his arms up, a hand shot out from the jacket and stopped his movement. Elizabeth had a worried look on her face; it was Booker's mêlée wound.

"B..Booker, you're hurt" despite her being clearly in a worse way, Elizabeth insisted on tending to Booker's wounds over hers. Booker gently pulled away.

"Hey..." He started "don't worry about me, I'll be fine". He was lying of course, the wound in his arm was throbbing painfully; however now was not the time.

Elizabeth slowly lifted her slender legs from the operating chair and placed them on the ground. She pushed her feet onto the floor a few times, checking if they would be able to support her weight. As she was about to stand she realised that her corset had been loosened, it started to travel earthward revealing more of her creamy skin. Booker hurriedly looked away, pretending to show a great deal of interest in his arm wound.

Elizabeth quickly sat back, her cheeks burning furiously red, whilst she knew that her feelings towards Mr DeWitt were true, she wasn't so sure that he felt that way. Self-doubt started to fill her mind once again making her worry, Booker wouldn't want to see her in that way anyway her mind had concluded; her heart didn't want to believe it though. With slightly more composure than before and most of the rosiness gone from her cheeks Elizabeth turned to face Booker.

"Bo...Booker" A long silence prevailed between the two, Elizabeth had no idea what to say, she nervously took off Booker's jacket and folded it allowing it to rest on her lap; She didn't want to let it go.

"Are you alright too..." Elizabeth started and stopped again, all she could do was motion to the material snaking up the back of her corset. Thankfully Booker seemed to understand.

"Oh... Yeah sure"

Elizabeth turned so that she was facing away from Booker, an involuntary tingle electrified her senses when he placed his hands onto the small of her back. Despite his touch being through material it still felt amazing, Elizabeth kept tight grip on the jacket, as though at any moment it would try to escape.

* * *

Booker mind was in disarray, split into two sides; it was a battle of feelings and fear. As his fingers slowly snaked their way up Elizabeth's corset, deftly tying the material as he went, his mind was debating whether to tell Elizabeth his true feelings.

The girl in the tower had occupied his mind a great deal whilst he was on Columbia. It was exhilarating and worrying at the same time, Booker was most certainly not used to these feelings; and that is where part of the problem lay. He knew that feelings such as these could sometimes cause more trouble than they were worth. His face visibly darkened at the thought of Anna.

Booker was about three-quarters finished with the corset, even though it was a small piece of clothing it took far longer to put on than other conventional clothing. When he accidentally pulled too hard on her corset strings Elizabeth let out a small gasp, his hands instinctively wrapped around her waist to steady her, instantly regretting it as he did so, his heart beat quicker at the contact. Feeling this was a better time than most Booker coughed before attempting to speak.

"Look..." He sighed bringing his right arm up to rub across his scarred brow. Booker had faced religious zealots, men who turned into crows, huge tin Handymen and insane scientists; this though filled him with more fear than those put together.

"Elizabeth..." He stopped again, why was this so difficult?

Elizabeth had now turned to face him, a quizzical look on her face. "Booker, are you feeling alright?". Finding her feet she stood once more and moved around the operating chair so that she could be closer to Booker. However he had retreated to sit on a medical box a slight distance from the chair, his head was hung and a grim expression was on his face; he was fidgeting with his hand cannon in his right hand. Elizabeth gently made her way over towards him and, throwing all caution to the wind, gingerly sat down onto his lap.

"Mr DeWitt" Elizabeth smiled sweetly, Booker's gaze instantly flew up to stare into her azure pools; she knew he disliked it when she called him that. Giggling slightly she wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a gentle peck on his nose. When he went to speak her left hand quietened him with an index finger placed gently on his lips.

"Booker" Elizabeth said. The coming ferocity of battle could see her feelings left scattered, she had to tell Booker even if he didn't feel that way. "Booker, I realise you may think of me as some kind of freak."

Elizabeth's vision started to blur from tears; with once arm she tried to clear it before continuing. "The girl who for all her life lived in a tower with only a metal bird for company." Tears started to form on her eyelashes, some running gracefully down her cheek whilst others whetted Booker's jacket on her lap.

"You saved me, not only that you have protected me since then." Elizabeth faltered, emotion threatening to flow over, she took a deep breath before stating. "You truly are a wonderful man Booker."

Elizabeth hadn't fully planned on what was going to happen next, she had assumed that Booker would either stare at her or tell her that despite her being a lovely girl, that he simply didn't feel that way. Perhaps it would have been easier not to tell him.

"Elizabeth" Booker's voice was surprisingly calm.

"Elizabeth, I love you."

"I know Booker, I'm sorry I shouldn't have...What?!" Elizabeth, shocked from the response practically jumped from Booker's lap, staring straight into his eyes she asked once again, not quite believing what she had heard.

"What do you mean?"

It took Booker a moment to realise what he'd said, he had meant it of course, however he was going to let Elizabeth know that he too shared similar feelings; he certainly had not planned by just charging in and saying THAT phrase.

"I.. I love you" Booker said again stuttering slightly. He looked down at the floor again due to Elizabeth still wearing an expression of shock, her blue orbs sparkling brightly; this is why he preferred not to get cosy with feelings.

Elizabeth could hear him muttering slightly. "Sorry... I didn't mean.. Uhhh.." She was ecstatic, even if she had tried she could not have dreamed a better outcome. Booker DeWitt not only liked her, he loved her.

Giddy with happiness Elizabeth felt as though she could dance forever, with a gigantic smile now on her face she ran her hand through Booker's hair; tears now flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Oh... I love you too Booker DeWitt!" she giggled throwing her arms around him.

Relief started to course through Booker, the shock had caused his mind to slow to a crawl and it was difficult to process such a surge in contrasting emotions, the pain in his arm did nothing to help either. He wrapped his arms around Elizabeth and stood from the box, due to him being considerably taller than Elizabeth she was lifted a few inches from the floor. They stood awhile, oblivious to all around them, absorbed in each other's company.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl, which neither of them cared about. They both wanted this moment to last as long as possible. Holding each other tightly they knew this moment might be the only time it would occur. For the coming battle would be far more than a physical test. There was still a chance the Lamb could be separated from her Shepard.

* * *

Chapter 6 done! I hope it's not too OOC, I have tried to use similar language and body expressions between the two companions.

I think there will be 2-3 chapters left of this short story, and perhaps an epilogue.

Thanks for being patient, let me know your thoughts!

Cheers,

AsozMania


	7. The Lamb, The Scorpion and The Shepard

Hello! Sorry for the long delay, had a bit of writers block.

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Zachary Comstock was sat in his heavy oak chair, he shifted his position causing the red pinned leather to groan loudly. Below him on his personal Zeppelin all hell was breaking loose, every so often a huge explosion or the shearing of gears caused him once again to shift his position uneasily. The situation he was now in was...unexpected. He had of course planned for any eventuality, that is why in a way the explosions beneath him comforted him slightly, hoping that one stray bullet would end the False Shepard's life.

However it was certainly not ideal, Booker DeWitt should have been contained as soon as he arrived on Columbia; instead he had been allowed to roam around as though he owned the place. Taking the pressure no longer, Comstock stood from his chair and started to pace the floor in front of his large desk. It didn't matter whether it was by his hand or the hand of one of his subjects, DeWitt would not make it off the zeppelin alive.

* * *

"Booker, catch!" Booker had just enough time to swivel in the direction of the voice and extend his arm. The cold touch of another hand cannon settled into his palm, a second too late and it would have ended up on his face; he turned to face Elizabeth.

"Hey! Watch it!" He said jokingly, a slight smile on his face.

"Getting slower are we?" Elizabeth's voice called back.

"Like hell I am!" Booker stood from cover and hurled a ball of fire, it landed among a group of soldiers who were guarding he command console. A few gunshots ripped through the air, ricocheting off a old iron strut. Booker chanced again, this time poking his head around the side of his cover, he was forced back in from a barrage of bullets, men were pouring from the sky-lines above; Comstock had prepared well.

Booker lifted his hand cannon above his head and rattled off a few more bullets, to stick his head from cover now would end in certain death. The vibrations from the floor told him that the soldiers ahead of him were starting to advance, they would surely overwhelm him on manpower alone.

"Elizabeth!" Booker shouted.

"Got it!" He was relieved to hear her voice calling back to him, a loud shredding sound in front of his cover warned him of Elizabeth opening a tear. The power that girl possessed still worried him greatly. Shouts erupted from the soldiers advancing on Booker, they were drowned out however from a howling wind followed by a deathly silence. Booker slowly stood, just enough to peer slightly from cover, his vision was greeted by the petite figure of Elizabeth standing among a pile of autumnal leaves.

* * *

Booker stood fully and started to walk towards Elizabeth, she had a few cuts and grazes on her face and her midnight blue dress had faded slightly from dust, Booker wrapped his arms around her sleight frame; he could feel her heart beating furiously.

"How are you feeling?" Booker said, gently running his hand through Elizabeth's chocolate hair.

"I'm.. I'm scared Booker" Elizabeth said burying her head further into Booker's chest, he responded by squeezing her softly, war was certainly no place for a girl like Elizabeth.

"It's gonna be alright, you're doing great" Booker felt foolish for saying that. In truth he was worried too, he feared for what was lurking on the upper decks. Comstock would most probably be like a wounded dog when they found him too, he was dangerous at the best of times.

"I just want it to end" Elizabeth murmured into Booker's chest. She was fed up of all this violence and fighting, she just wanted it all to end so that herself and Booker could escape to Paris. That particular memory was occupying a great amount of her time now, she knew she shouldn't, any moment that dream could be shattered; it was just so wonderfully close though that she simply couldn't help it.

"Hmmph...You and me both" Booker sighed as he continued to stroke Elizabeth's locks. Her perfume filtered into his head making his mind hazy, Booker closed his eyes and allowed his thoughts to wander. As long as they were trapped on Columbia those few, fragmented moments of peace could never last long. A few moments later and Booker's eyes snapped open as a chair on the other side of the room creaked slightly; reluctantly he pulled away from Elizabeth although he still kept a tight grasp of her hand.

"Come on, we better get moving" Booker motioned towards the sky-line.

"Stay close too me" Elizabeth whispered, her emotions were too mixed to say anything with vigour.

"Of course... Lamb" Booker whispered back just so that Elizabeth could hear. She looked up and glared at him disapprovingly, the expression quickly faded however and a small smile took its place. Pleased that the phrase had provided the outcome that Booker wanted they moved up onto the deck with the control panel which overlooked the floor below.

With Elizabeth in tow, Booker cleared the sky-line of the remaining Comstock Patriot Pods, as his Sky-Hook started to rotate he felt Elizabeth's hand on his shoulder; he de-magnetised the hook before turning to face her.

"You ok? Booker asked, worry written on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Elizabeth replied, she was nervously tapping her fingers together. "Booker please be careful" she blurted out "I...I can't loose you again".

In one swoop Booker leaned in and their lips met, electricity danced between the two lovers. Elizabeth was still learning how to control such fierce and sudden feelings, it was a wonderful journey that she was fully enjoying exploring.

Booker slowly pulled away "You won't, I promise". Elizabeth could see both determination and care in his viridian gaze; she knew he was telling the truth.

"Thank you Booker" Elizabeth replied, despite trusting Booker implicitly worry still bubbled away in her stomach. "Lets get it over with" She said more defiantly.

Booker turned to face the Sky-Line. "Let's", he raised his left arm and he felt the same similar feeling, one that was not too dissimilar to flying. It still felt odd though, then again he was standing on a floating city, if they could make that float then people must have been a walk in the park.

* * *

"Sir!"

Comstock rubbed his forehead, how was he doing this? Many men would have fallen long ago and against lesser odds.

"Sir!" This time the voice managed to pierce Comstock's thinking, it was Viscard; his scorpion tattoo flexed on his neck as he spoke.

"Sir, the False Shepard and his bitch are on the floor below"

Viscard spoke calmly as though the thought of the False Shepard just one deck below them was menial; Comstock knew he hade made a correct decision when sparing him. Their paths had crossed many years ago, John Viscard had been due to be hung for killing his wife, Comstock had offered him an ultimatum, serve him or die. Naturally Viscard had opted to live, and proved his worth many times over.

"You don't think I, The Prophet did not know that?" Comstock spat, he was at the end of his tether; damn Booker DeWitt.

Viscard stood silent, he had enough intelligence to know when to be quiet. Comstock paced up and down his office for a while before he turned to face him again.

"End him, bring the girl too me" Comstock's expression was dark.

"As you wish" Viscard nodded, his face not showing any signs of emotion. He quickly left the room leaving Comstock alone with only his awful mood for company.

* * *

Booker landed hard on the top deck, he quickly swivelled round and extended his arms. Whilst he was able to land from great heights with ease Elizabeth wasn't so versed in landing, and with her heels on as well it was nigh on impossible. A few moments later and Elizabeth landed rather unceremoniously into his open arms, quickly extending her arms so that they were wrapped around Booker's strong neck; she did not look amused as she moved a stray lock from her face.

"Let's not do that again"

"Agreed" Booker gently set her down and retrieved his hand cannon from its holster.

The top deck of the Hand of The Prophet was quite similar to the two decks below. The floor was a light wood, perhaps pine. The room itself was in a tight oval shape, machinery fizzed and sparked down the middle of the area. With all this tight cover it would be both a help and hindrance to the two companions. It allowed lots of places to shelter from the coming bullet storm, however it also allowed Booker's enemies the same grace. They would need to clear this room fast and efficiently if they were to stop themselves from being boxed in.

Booker looked to Elizabeth "You ready?" He asked.

"Ready Booker"

As Booker took one step forward a huge thundering boom echoed around the enclosed space.

"I'm guessing that wasn't you.." Booker heard Elizabeth ask.

As Booker turned around he noticed a red dot lazily making its way across Elizabeth's dress, instinctively Booker threw his weight against Elizabeth and both were knocked to the floor; Elizabeth's face was a mixture of shock and gratitude.

"Stay here" Booker's voice was firm. "Don't move from cover unless I call you or it's absolutely necessary"

Elizabeth's hand shot up and quickly graced Booker's jawline. "Be careful Booker".

"You got it"

With that Booker leapt from cover and sprinted forward, his eyes swiftly identifying the next piece of cover. With huge energy Booker quickly covered the gap, he swivelled slightly so that his muscular back took the full weight of him crashing against the cold metal surface; adrenaline was once again coursing through his veins.

Not wanting to leave Elizabeth too far behind Booker shouted back for her to move up on his count. As he did so he poked his arm from cover and wildly fired in the direction of the advancing line; something to keep them occupied whilst Elizabeth moved up. A few moments later and she was back by his side and breathing heavily.

"Why can't we ever go somewhere where we aren't getting shot at Mr DeWitt?" Elizabeth asked sarcastically, rolling her blue pearls.

"Where would the fun be in that?" Booker had to shout to be heard above the din. Once more his hand flew from cover and, rapidly pulling the trigger felled three more soldiers. "You would eventually get bored" he winked at Elizabeth.

BOOM!

Silence fell across the deck, the soldiers had stopped firing, Booker slowly peered round his cover before quickly falling back behind it; he cursed loudly shocking Elizabeth. She had never heard him swear with such ferocity before, if she had seen what Booker had witnessed it probably would have caused her to curse as well.

"Booker, what is i..?" Elizabeth was cut off by Booker.

"Handymen" Booker replied, his face a mixture of worry and anger.

It took a moment for the phrase to sink in; Booker had said HandyMEN.

Realising they were now heavily in borrowed time Booker turned to Elizabeth "You need to run".

"I'm not leaving" Elizabeth expression was caring but her eyes had a steely glare to them. "I won't abandon you Booker" she stated flatly.

* * *

"DeWitt!" The voice was Viscard. He had moved between the two steel giants and was making his way into the middle of the room. "Come out and die like the dog you are!" In his right hand he was wielding a shotgun, waving it madly up towards the sky. He paused for a few moments, allowing the tip of his cigarette to flare before continuing. "Comstock only wants the bitch, I'm afraid this is where it ends for you".

Hearing Elizabeth referred to as a bitch did not sit well with Booker, rage boiled over in his stomach and he stood from cover. He felt Elizabeth's arm grab some of the material from his waistcoat, he shrugged it off and glared, eyes full of anger at Viscard. Many of the soldiers had now retreated behind the tin-men. Whilst the odds were clearly in their favour, many were still not willing to take a chance with the False Shepard.

"Ready to die, DeWitt?" Viscard asked, motioning to a spot on the floor just in front of him.

Booker needed to come up with a plan; and fast. Starting a firefight now would inevitably end in his demise. The only option was to follow Viscard's order, for now at least. As Booker edged closer Viscard started to speak once again.

"You got so far, and to see it end like this? I almost feel sorry for you" An evil smile appeared on Viscard's face. Booker was now within three feet of this wretched being.

"Kneel"

Booker rarely took orders from anyone, he was not about to start now.

"Make me" he said, still not breaking eye contact with the small army around him.

Elizabeth flinched uncontrollably and tears started to form on her eyelids when she heard the crack from Viscard's shotgun connecting with Booker. She could vaguely hear his gravelly voice addressing her.

"Before I forget, you try and create one of those tears little Lamb and the bastard DeWitt dies, got it?" Not even bothering to wait for a reply from Elizabeth, Viscard turned his attention back to Booker.

"Any last words DeWitt?" Viscard drew the weapon so that it was now pointing directly a Booker's temple. His head was slowly oozing blood from the wound that was inflicted just moments ago.

"Go to hell" Booker replied, his stony expression not changing at all.

"Defiant until the end" There was an evil gleam in Viscard's eye, "Its a shame you chose the wrong side".

BANG!

An involuntary shriek erupted from Elizabeth, she threw herself from cover and started to run towards the commotion; tears blurring her vision. It couldn't end like this.

"Booker!" Elizabeth screamed, her mind exploded as she ripped open a huge tear in front of her, she could hear the screams of the soldiers being sucked into the black void, it didn't matter anymore, none of it did; Booker DeWitt was gone.

* * *

Elizabeth was numb from shock, her mind still couldn't believe what she had heard. Exhausted, Elizabeth slumped onto her knees, weak from the sudden loss of Booker and from the mental stress of creating such a destructive tear. Tears fell freely from her eyelashes and landed on the rough wooden floor, slowly seeping into the grain due to it not being treated. A hand placed on her shoulder caused her to quickly spin around, it was Booker. Instinctively Elizabeth backed away, she figured this was just a hallucination, come to mock her for losing the thing she loved.

"Leave me alone" She whispered.

"Now why would I do that?" That familiar smile appeared on Booker's face. He approached her once again.

"I don't understand..." Elizabeth was at a loss for words. "I.. I thought you died."

A flash of pain spread across Booker's face when he could see the hurt that he had caused Elizabeth, it quickly evaporated and was replaced by a caring expression. "Well" Booker had taken his neckerchief off and was dabbing it gently on his forehead, when he pressed too hard he sucked air in between his teeth. "I would have been had it not been thanks too.." He trailed off and looked behind him.

THUD

From the shadows came a Handyman, this was no ordinary Tin-Man though. Elizabeth knew this one by name.

"Samuel" Elizabeth said as she used her jacket to wipe away her tears.

"It was hellava timing" Booker started. "A second later and things could have turn.."

"Please, don't say it" Elizabeth was still visibly shaken, she couldn't bear to hear Booker say that; sadness threatened to overpower her once more.

"It's all over now though" Booker's voice was quiet and soothing, he slowly approached Elizabeth and crouched down next too her. He never made it to the floor though, a voice echoing about the room caused him to stand in a defensive posture around Elizabeth; hand cannon at the ready.

"Ever still you persist DeWitt" Comstock's voice rang out. He sounded different to how he had previously on Columbia, his tone was muted, tired even.

"And now you turn a tin-bastard against me? You are greater than I had ever anticipated, but still you will fall." The sound of a sigh reverberated through the speakers before Comstock continued, his tone starting to fall back into its usual evil levels.

"Run while you can heathen" The threat was clearly aimed at Samuel. "Your wife will be next."

This struck a chord with Samuel, a flash of anger shot across his face and with a huge roar he strode forward, the wooden flooring creaking under his immense weight. His huge metallic arms took hold of a chair just off from the centre of the room, with ease he pulled it from its mountings and hurled it towards the speaker. The frame of the chair splintered terribly, showering the floor with splintered debris. The metallic frame held however and a deafening sound of the screech of shearing metal rang throughout the room. A few moments later and both the metal objects fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, Samuel stood back, smoke pouring from his tin body.

"This is the end Comstock, you will pay for your sins" Booker's voice was firm, he would make Comstock pay for what he had done.

"We shall see DeWitt" Comstock paused for a second. "Now come on up, your destiny awaits." There was a sound of the receivers dying and then silence. Booker turned to Elizabeth, she had expected him to once more try and persuade her to stay here or find somewhere to hide; that the battle ahead was far too dangerous.

"Its nearly over" Was all that Booker said, a beam of light from a bullet hole in the ceiling streaked across half of his face. His face had a worried look and he had large black bags under his eyes. From his temple to his neck crimson was still slowly oozing from his temple, coming to rest on his jacket collar and staining it slightly; he looked exhausted.

As he walked over to Elizabeth he offered her his hand, she took it and stood, wobbling slightly from standing up too quick. Something caught Booker's ear, he stood still for a moment before moving again. A few steps towards the door and he stopped again, it was a shrill screech, to any normal person back on Earth it the sound could have been attributed to wind rushing through an area or perhaps a bird meeting its demise from an alley-cat. To Booker though he sadly knew it was very different and certainly not wanted. That sound he never wanted to hear again, it was Songbird. He turned to Elizabeth, her eyes wide with fear.

"Run!" Booker shouted. His voice was drowned out from an almighty bang echoing around the room, Booker whipped around and his worst fears were confirmed. Where once was a wall with a rather splendidly well painted art-piece of the Lady Comstock was now rubble and a glaring orange bead; it was quickly slotted back and a red beam took its place.

There was no hope against such a beast, at least that was the case for Booker and Elizabeth anyway. Samuel scooped the two companions and placed them softly behind him so that he now blocked the aggressors way. His expression was soft as he looked at Elizabeth.

"Go.." Samuel's voice was deep, one that could be expected from a Handyman. "Go now"

From behind him two glowing red orbs penetrated the dust. Booker grabbed Elizabeth's arm, it was distressing but they had to leave now, to not do so would almost certainly end in their deaths though. As they picked up speed onto the top deck Booker could hear behind him the deafening screech from Songbird, a moment later Samuel's booming roar answered the beasts war cry. Metal connected with metal, grinding together, as the cacophony of destruction reached its crescendo it was quickly replaced by a deathly silence.

* * *

There was no sound other than the gentle hum of the engines powering the Hand of The Prophet. As the two companions walked up the winding staircase their footsteps were muted due to the plush red carpet; expense had clearly not been a big priority for Comstock. Large beautifully crafted paintings adorned the walls and intricate vases sat atop hand sculpted mahogany dressers. The carpet alone probably cost more than Booker had earned in his lifetime.

Booker turned to Elizabeth, both of them were in total shock; none had expected such loyalty or kindness from a Handyman. Knowing that Samuel's bravery must not squandered Booker loaded his hand cannon fully.

"Let's go and finish this."

* * *

Tune in next time for the final chapter of Tears for Tears! (There will be an Epilogue sometime after the final chapter though.)

Thanks to everyone for leaving feedback and being patient with the story.

Let me know what you think!

Cheers,

AsozMania


	8. Wing-Tip Shoes and Columbia Blues

Hello again!

Here is the final chapter for Tears for Tears, I hope you've enjoyed it so far!

Apologies for the longer than planned wait, it was from writers block mainly although I did go through stages of being ridiculously busy.

* * *

The Hand of the Prophet was like a labyrinth, filled with small rooms and cubby-holes where anything or anyone could jump out of at any second. Booker had nearly been caught out a moment ago when a Patriot, its head casing severely damaged and its legs missing had fallen from a hole in the padded ceiling. After that small incursion though the two companions thankfully didn't meet anymore resistance, that didn't stop Elizabeth keeping as close as she could to Booker.

They were forced to exit the warm interior of the Zeppelin and travel outside for some of the way, the cold hard rain battered their faces and when they finally made it back indoors they were both wet through.

"Looks like we're on the right track" Booker's murmured.

Before him lay a small atrium, old dusty books lined the edges of the room, stacked neatly and piled high on dark-wood bookcases. If they weren't being hounded by a madman then he would have liked to sit awhile with Elizabeth, watching her whilst she pored over every page and every crease; her eyes sparkling in the light.

Elizabeth seemed to be following a similar thought, her eyes were wide as she took in the sight before her. Familiar covers were instantly recognisable, the green cover from Howard's End particularly caught her eye; as her mind wandered she remembered it was rather a good read.

"Elizabeth..." The faint voice of booker echoed off of her inner ear breaking the spell over her wandering mind and caused her to turn towards her companion. A small statue stood surrounded by the bookcases, Booker was eyeing it suspiciously; his brow furrowing.

Upon closer inspection Elizabeth noticed that it wasn't a statue, it was her old tower. It had been split down the middle as a cross-section. Apart from her living area and the parts she had glimpsed when she was given freedom Elizabeth had never seen her tower. It was much larger than she expected, her confined home took up a small part right at the top of the steel edifice.

"I.. I don't understand" Elizabeth said, gesturing to the machinery that filled the lower half of the architecture.

"Me either... Wait." Booker's mind was working furiously, the design before him he had seen more than once. He had passed through it on his way to save the Girl in The Tower but also somewhere else. Booker's brow furrowed as he fought with his mind to piece together the evidence. Suddenly it struck him.

"Back when we were at your Mother's grave..." Booker said as he slowly walked around the statue in an anti-clockwise direction; the run in with the spectral Lady Comstock still fresh in his mind.

Elizabeth vaguely remembered the machine, she winced slightly from the memory of the pain that it had caused. Deductive reasoning was now at the forefront of Booker's mind; it didn't take long for him to piece together the evidence.

"Its a Siphon"

"What..how?" Came Elizabeth's reply.

Still Booker continued to circle the statue, stopping every so often due to some minute detail catching his attention.

"That tower is what kept you under control, and not just physically. You said when you were younger that you were able to create whole tears at will." Booker glanced at Elizabeth and when she nodded he continued. "Then all of a sudden you could only open small windows, that must have been when the Siphon was installed".

As Booker was about to continue he was interrupted as the door on the far side of the small atrium creaked open, the once shining brass hinges now dulled from oxidisation. Before the two companions stood Zachary Comstock, he was a tall man and his beard was powder white. It was quite a contrasting feature with his jet black, finely pressed suit jacket, complete with long coat tails hanging to just above the knee. His trousers whilst still black had white lines that split the ink into bars and he wore suit shoes that were polished so efficiently that would have made an Army Major smile. The bastard looked exactly like he did in the propaganda that littered Columbia.

"Well done DeWitt, seems there is still life in a ex-war hero like yourself." Comstock's voice was laced with hints of amusement, weariness and anger. He turned to face Elizabeth, his expression and tone softening as her large blue orbs connected with his small grey gaze.

"Come my dear" Comstock extended his left arm into the room behind them, he turned on his heels and entered the room; as Elizabeth was about to follow Booker quickly stepped in front of her.

"Stand back" his voice bubbling with anger. "I'm ending this."

Elizabeth pushed around his larger frame "No Booker, this is between me and him." With that she strode defiantly into the room and DeWitt was forced to follow.

"You are walking into a trap" Booker hissed his hand gripping at his hand cannon, he couldn't lose Elizabeth now.

"I need to do this" Came Elizabeth's reply, it may have sounded firm but inside she was more terrified than ever.

"I'm right behind you" Booker's voice did little to quell the storm of fear that was raging within her but it was a comfort nonetheless.

* * *

Comstock was stood at an altar, pouring water into the cream stone basin. As he looked up he could see Elizabeth was apprehensive. "Come child!" He exclaimed with a smile on his face. "I won't bite!" If anything Comstock smiling was more worrying than him being angry, Booker was sure that he had lost his mind, like Viscard and Fink before him; this whole goddamn city had lost its mind.

As Elizabeth edged closer the light of the room caught upon her face. "My oh my, how you've grown." Comstock's voice rippled through the air, quiet and sincere, as though he was chatting with an old friend in the park.

When she was within arms reach Comstock gently grasped her wrist and brought her closer to the font that he was stood behind. Booker moved forward and protested.

"Hey, keep your hands off her." Hatred flamed inside if him and he was close to pulling his Hand Cannon on Comstock.

His adversary didn't even flinch, he kept muttering softly so that only Elizabeth could hear. Comstock had pulled a rather worn yellow sponge from the font and was starting to wash Elizabeth's dirt covered arm.

"Look at you child you're a mess" Comstock's expression was one of care and pain. "Everything I've done was to keep you safe."

Elizabeth looked perplexed. "Safe from what?" She asked.

It was now that Comstock turned his attention to Booker, his tone and expression quickly changed.

"I've been a fool DeWitt" Comstock said as he placed the sponge back into the fountain and walked around the font leaving Elizabeth stood alone. "I have sent mighty armies to stop you and rained fire on you from above." Comstock waved his arms in an arc above his head. He turned his back on Booker before continuing but in a much more sinister tone. "I did all of that when all I really needed to do was to target you indirectly." With a swift movement he closed the gap between himself and Elizabeth and grabbed Elizabeth's wrist.

A pirouette motion from Comstock brought Elizabeth close so that they were both facing Booker, surprising how withered Comstock looked he moved with the speed of a man half his age. Booker's hand cannon was already released from its holster pointing at Comstock. He flinched and his fierce gaze softened slightly when the girl he cared most deeply for filled his iron sights. It was but the slightest of movements but Comstock picked up on it, a hearty laugh erupted from him.

"My Oh My, this is touching. Fallen for the girl you came to bargain with DeWitt?" His body jutted from behind Elizabeth's slight frame but Booker simply couldn't take that chance. He had a promise to keep.

Comstock started to retreat towards the archway behind him bringing Elizabeth with him, his grey slits never leaving Booker's glare. Booker slowly moved forward step by step.

"You've changed DeWitt." Comstock's voice sounded once more "Before Columbia you wouldn't have hesitated to cause collateral damage. Perhaps The Lamb has had a beneficial effect."

"Hey, shut your damn mouth!" Booker said, his voice rising.

Comstock continued as though he hadn't heard him "It almost pains me that I have to ruin your life now, even after you survived the trauma of Wounded Knee. Well..." Comstock flashed an evil smile, revealing a smoke tinged front row. "ALMOST!" He flung himself and Elizabeth threw the archway and disappeared from vision. Booker leapt into action to follow but was halted as soon as he moved.

* * *

"BANG"

A bullet whistled past, had Booker not been so swift to follow Elizabeth he would have been finished for sure. Battle-hardened instinct took over and Booker quickly made his way to cover behind a row of thick wooden pews. Bullets continued to pound the frame splintering it terribly and the bespoke cushions exploded in a plume of duck feathers.

'I don't have time for this' Booker thought as he planned his next move. Slowly making his way between the pews he kept within close proximity of his present cover as he tried his best to gauge his enemy; he could make out just three soldiers. One was on a balcony that hugged the room overlooking the alter, he was furiously stuffing round after round into a rifle that had a lovingly crafted ornate scope, it had a Chinese dragon etched into the steel and was polished to perfection; whilst it did look stunning the design provided zero advantage over The False Shepard.

The other two soldiers had entered through the door that Comstock had left with Elizabeth just moments before. These soldiers were strikingly different compared to the others that Booker had faced on Columbia. They were stripped to the waist and carried long curved blades that shimmered in the light. The two warriors certainly looked the part of being Zachary Comstock's elite guard; whether they would match up to their grandeur in skill though would be another matter entirely.

Not wanting to be kept on the back foot and conscious that with each second Comstock would be getting further away Booker leapt into action. He threw himself from cover and the familiar tingling sensation of a vigour powered through his arm, tingling his senses, with a fluid movement from his left arm he rained the potent Devil's Kiss towards the soldier on high. It took seconds for the man to be turned to a smouldering pile of ash, his rifle lying neatly on top of it.

With one problem out of the way Booker turned his attention to the two still blocking his exit. He raised his hand cannon towards the elite on the left side and went to apply the familiar pressure to the trigger. It was cut short though as the second had covered the distance quickly and knocked the cannon from his grasp with his left arm, his faithful weapon was flung across the room and landed some distance away tucked under the pew.

Booker was flung from his spot due to the man's other arm connecting straight to his chest. The wind was forced from his lungs and Booker struggled for breath, these men whilst they looked normal were anything but. Booker had no chance to react as he felt huge hands grab his throat and was forced into the air; even Booker's 6'1 stature was still not enough to stop him from being lifted from the floor.

The man's eyes were blood red and he was missing most of his teeth, from Booker's blurred vision he could make out the other warrior who he had previously aimed at was advancing on him. With his strength fading fast he focused all of his energy into his legs and forced them forward into the man's diaphragm.

The effect was as intended and the Brutes force relaxed slightly on Booker's neck. Seizing the chance Booker used his hands to force the man's hands open and dropped to the floor. With air starting to fuel his lungs once again Booker lunged towards the mans belt and pulled from it a small dagger. Propelling himself upwards he raised his arm and threw it with all his might towards the advancing Elite, his hearing was greeted with a roar as the dagger found it's intended mark and then a thud as the Elite fell, his body now lifeless.

With surprising speed Booker swivelled to face the original Brute, once again he was advancing rapidly, arms poised to choke the life from Booker.

This time however, Booker had expected this tactic. Despite the sheer power and strength from the two Brutes it was clear they had very linear thought processes when it came to battle. If you couldn't stab it, then strangle it.

He lunged as far as he could towards the line of pews which now resembled an expensive bonfire. Not worrying about splinters Booker plunged his hand into the mess, pain erupting in his palm as he felt a shard enter his flesh. As he fumbled blindly through the pile his mind was half aware of the closing Brute behind him, just as the footsteps were pounding in his ears his hand grazed cold welcoming steel.

Without even bothering to look Booker ripped his weapon free and fired blindly behind his head. The satisfying sound of the second Brute roaring in pain and collapsing greeted his hearing; it was over.

* * *

Booker fell back against the floor exhausted, he could vaguely feel that his hand was dripping wet, a quick glance confirmed that blood was pouring freely from his hand. He forced himself to kneel and address his wound quickly; Elizabeth needed to be saved. Wincing horribly from the pain he dressed it in his necker-chief, the crimson instantly soaking through. After all of this he'd be able to look at it properly. If there ever was going to be an 'after'; the future certainly looked bleak. It wouldn't matter anyway if Elizabeth was lost, she was the only thing that Booker cared about anymore.

With a grunt of pain Booker managed to stand, his arm was now numb from the pain and his legs felt as though they would collapse at any moment. Forcing himself to make progress, Booker walked through the exit, eyes frantically scanning all around; the last thing he needed was another setback.

As he turned the corner Booker was greeted with dull iron stairs, the middle of them a lighter silver having been worn down from constant traffic. Almost as soon as Booker reached the top a scream from Elizabeth came from a bulkhead left slightly ajar, as Booker rushed towards it and threw it open a huge gust a wind threatened to overbalance him. Comstock was stood at one edge of his office, his beard buffeting slightly in the gust. Across the opposite side of the room stood a soldier who was grappling with Elizabeth, frantically she was trying to pull herself away from her aggressor. Her moonlight blue dress was flapping wildly across her petite figure.

"Booker!" She screamed, her eyes wide and frightened.

"A choice DeWitt!" Comstock shouted over the din pointing a Chinese 17 Type directly at Booker's chest. "You can leave me and save your beloved Lamb" he paused for a moment to re-adjust his firing arm. "Or you can kill me and let her perish..." Comstock motioned towards Elizabeth, an evil gleam tinted Comstock's glare.

"She is your daughter Comstock!" Booker roared, his pain started to dull from the anger and adrenaline coursing through his body.

"Sometimes sacrifices need to be made..." For a moment a flash of guilt spread across Comstock's tired lines, it didn't last for long however as almost as soon as it had appeared it had vanished to be replaced with that familiar stern gaze.

"Bastard" Was all Booker could think to say.

"Farewell DeWitt, I hope I never have the misfortune of our paths crossing again." With a final sigh Comstock looked towards his ally and nodded.

Time seemed to slow for Booker. He watched as the girl who he was tasked with rescuing, who had brought back feelings that Booker thought he would never experience again, the girl who had allowed him to love again, falling hopelessly into the gloaming. What caused him to spring into action was Elizabeth's scream that rattled through his senses. He was decided.

Without hesitation and using his last remaining energy Booker sprinted towards the open bulkhead. The guard was of no matter, he was dispatched easily from Booker's Sky Hook. As Booker neared the door he could hear Comstock's laugh ringing through his mind.

Booker leapt from the Zeppelin and into nothingness, his eyes scanned the area below him for Elizabeth. After frantic searching he managed to identify her, she was a few hundred feet below him. Tilting slightly so that he rapidly gained speed Booker quickly closed the distance between the two companions.

He steadied Elizabeth and wrapped his arms around her, one underneath her legs just grazing the top of her leather boots, the other was wrapped just under her shoulders.

"Booker, you shouldn't have come after me" Elizabeth said through tears.

Booker said nothing and just tightened his grip on her.

BOOM!

Their eyes shot skyward in response to the noise, what was once the Hand of The Prophet was now engulfed in a gigantic explosion.

"Well that was unnecessary." A third voice that was neither Booker nor Elizabeth quipped.

* * *

Comstock fell into the wall, looking for it to support the majority of his weight. Relief was starting to filter into the fear that had filled his mind just moments ago; he never would have admitted it but Comstock feared the False Shepard greatly. From his time on Columbia it showed that Booker DeWitt was a vicious fighter from the very beginning, wiping away anything that was put in his way; whether that be man or machine. In the end though all it had taken was the fickle feelings of love and belonging to bring about the False Shepard's downfall.

"May you be dragged down to the furthest depths of hell DeWitt, never to return" This outburst was quite out of the ordinary from a usually cool, composed Prophet.

"Oh I don't know" A voice rang out from the shadows. "I do believe Mr DeWitt would favour something far more suited to an ambient temperature"

Comstock's arm shot up, his weapon ready. Without hesitation he fired three shots straight into the shadows, the splintering of wood alerting him that he had missed. The familiar feeling of fear tingled the Prophet's senses.

The clicking of a shoe, one that sounded as though it came from a Wing-Tip came from across the room. Slowly a figure emerged from the darkness that caused Comstock to take a sharp intake of breath. The familiar olive suit and flame-red hair greeted him.

"You" The Prophet spat, his expression darkening.

"Good evening Zachary" It was Robert Lutece.

* * *

"Well that was unnecessary"

Before the two companions was Rosalind Lutece, her face bore a quizzical expression.

"What... I..." Booker was flummoxed, how on earth was this happening?

Sensing that he was in a bit of mental distress, Rosalind quickly took over the conversation; her explanation was less than helpful however.

"We are floating Mr DeWitt"

"I realise that" Booker retorted.

"I always knew that utilising extra quantum fields would be of use." Realising that this still wouldn't justify as an explanation for Booker she elaborated further. "The particles that stop the city from falling out of the sky are now stopping you from the same fate."

Gracefully Rosalind side-stepped as a chunk of iron from the Hand of The Prophet plummeted past her before the force of the particles slows it to a stand still about 15 feet below them.

One question still burned in Booker's mind. "Why did you save us?"

"Well you did ask to help you in more..." Rosalind paused for a second before continuing with a slight perk to her lips. "Forthcoming manner."

Despite the two companions now out of the frying pan, they were certainly not out of the fire yet. Booker still held a tight grip on Elizabeth who was still nestled as deeply as she could in Booker's chest.

For the first time though a feeling that felt quite uncommon was rushing through him, as the False Shepard comforted the Lamb within his grasp, the weathered man's mind turned to Paris and to the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his days with.

* * *

There we have it, the final chapter for Bioshock Infinite:Tears for Tears.

The epilogue will pick up a few days after the end of the main story, most probably starting with Elizabeth seeing Paris for the first time.

I would like to thank everyone who has ever read, favourited, reviewed, followed and whatever else to do with this story. I have very much enjoyed writing it and it really is brilliant to see that other people are enthused about it as well!

Where do we go from here? Well i'll probably go back to my other ME fiction for the time being, but who knows what will happen?

Let me know what you think!

Cheers for now,

AsozMania


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